"^^ 


7n.^, 


Interitatioual  ^taxmiwn  ^txm 

EDITED   BY 

WILLIAM  T.  HARRIS,  A.M.,  LL.D. 


Volume  XXX, 


INTERNATIONAL  EDUCATION  SERIES 


FRIEDRICH    PROEBEL'S 

PEDAGOGICS    OF    THE 
KINDERGARTEN 


OR,  HIS  IDEAS  CONCERNING  THE 
PLAY  AND  PLAYTHINGS  OF  THE  CHILD 


.(>»,!  "tj      »  »     O 


JOSEPHINE  JARVIS 


NEW    YORK 

D.    APPLETON    AND    COMPANY 

1909 


Copyright,  1895, 
By  D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY. 


^biuJ^Ai:^^^' cBEi^i'^, 


ElJSCTROTTPED  AMD  PRINTED 
AT  THE  APPLETON  PrESS,  U.  S.  A. 


EDITOK'S  PKEFACE. 


The  work  here  offered  to  the  public  is  a  translation 
of  fifteen  of  the  essays  of  Froebel  collected  by  Wichard 
Lange  into  a  volume  entitled  Die  Padagogik  des  Kinder- 
gartens, Gedanken  Friedrich  Froebel's  liber  das  Spiel  und 
die  Spielgegenstande  des  Kindes,  Berlin,  1861.  The  chief 
value  of  the  present  volume  is  to  be  found  in  the  thor- 
oughgoing discussion  of  the  first  five  gifts.  Froebel 
found  an  educational  value  in  every  phase  of  the  child's 
play,  and  in  every  object  that  engages  its  attention.  His 
keen  scent  discovered  in  the  roundness  of  the  ball,  in 
the  facility  with  which  it  may  be  moved  on  a  plane  sur- 
face, an  educative  effect  on  the  dawning  intellect  of  the 
child.  It  is  a  symbol  of  a  unity  that  perpetually  asserts 
itself  in  whatever  variety — i.  e.,  in  whatever  change  of 
place,  extension,  or  movement — happens  to  it.  "  The 
sphere  represents  to  the  child  every  isolated  simple  unity 
— the  child  gets  from  it  a  hint  of  manifold nees  as  still 
abiding  in  unity"  (p.  105).  Whether  the  ball  or  sphere 
be  large  or  small,  every  segment  of  the  surface  is  like 
every  other,  and  undistinguishable  from  the  others  by 
shape — "  the  manifoldness  abides  in  unity."  That  this 
is  akin  to  the  child's  consciousness  of  self  is  obvious. 
His  self  remains  the  same  under  all  circumstances,  but 


f/27331 


vi  EDITOR'S  PREFACE. 

it  exists  amid  a  perpetually  changing  variety  of  states 
of  perfection,  feeling,  and  volition.  Thus  the  ball  as  a 
symbol  aids  the  child  on  his  way  to  the  attainment  of 
adequate  self-knowledge. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  cube,  according  to  Froebel,  "  is 
representative  of  each  continually  developing  manifold 
body — the  child  has  a  hint  in  it  of  the  unity  which  lies 
at  the  foundation  of  all  variety  or  differences  of  shape, 
and  of  the  development  of  these  dift'erences  out  of  that 
unity."  Thus  while  the  unity  of  the  sphere  swallows  up  or 
subdues  and  conceals  its  variety,  the  cube  accentuates  and 
makes  manifest  its  variety.  For  its  corners  and  edges 
and  surfaces  are  rigid  and  abiding,  as  differences  from 
one  another,  and  attract  our  attention  away  from  their 
unity  in  the  whole  cube.  In  the  sphere  the  sides  are 
alike,  and  there  are  no  corners  or  edges — one  part  is  like 
another ;  identity  and  unity  prevail. 

Froebel  brings  out  the  principle  of  contrast,  the  act 
of  distinguishing  by  the  category  of  opposition  (p.  39). 
This  is  very  clearly  another  step  in  the  consciousness  of 
the  child's  self ;  for  he  is  self  as  subject  knowing,  op- 
posed to  himself  as  object  known.  The  fertility  of  this 
new  thought  or  idea  in  the  child's  mind  appears  in  his 
discriminations  of  things  and  events  by  the  contrasts  of 
sound  and  silence,  of  visible  and  invisible,  of  going  and 
returning,  of  abiding  and  transient,  etc.  With  the  ball 
in  hand  the  mother  attracts  the  attention  of  the  infant 
too  young  to  talk.  She  raises  the  ball  by  its  string  and 
lowers  it ;  swings  it  to  and  fro ;  in  a  circle  or  in  a  spiral ; 
jumps  it  and  twirls  it ;  rolls  it  on  a  surface  or  causes  it  to 
rebound,  etc. 

The  child  gradually  learns  the  words  with  which  to 
describe  these  general  forms  of  motion  (pp.  43, 44).    Then 


EDITOR'S  PREFACE.  yii 

the  child  plays  or  "makes  believe"  that  the  ball  is  a 
dog  or  cat  or  some  other  animal,  and  a  new  step  in  cre- 
ative activity  is  reached  by  the  exercise  of  fancy  and  im- 
agination. 

In  the  third  gift  Froebel  points  out  the  physical  coun- 
terparts of  a  still  higher  range  of  categories.  For  the 
cube,  subdivided  into  eight  smaller  cubes,  demands  the 
use  of  the  categories  of  whole  and  parts,  of  outer  and 
inner,  general  and  particular  (p.  120),  etc. 

Here,  too,  begins  the  mathematical  or  quantitative  idea. 
For  the  eight  small  cubes  are  repetitions  of  the  same  unit, 
and  likewise  equal  parts  of  the  large  cube.  Thus  multipli- 
cation and  division,  and  the  two  numerical  series,  integers, 
and  fractions,  are  learned  by  the  child  at  the  same  time 
that  he  is  beginning  to  use  the  highly  significant  cate- 
gory of  outer  and  inner.  With  play  nothing  should  be 
permitted  to  exist  without  relation  to  something  else 
(p.  131). 

Froebel  finds  all  that  the  child  does  significant  and  of 
educational  importance.  In  fact,  he  is  the  great  pioneer 
and  founder  of  child  study  as  well  as  of  the  pedagogic 
theory  of  intellectual  values.  Every  branch  of  study  has 
its  distinctive  intellectual  value,  and  the  teacher  or  super- 
intendent should  ascertain  this  by  an  investigation  similar 
to  that  undertaken  in  this  volume  on  the  first  five  gifts 
used  in  the  kindergarten.  We  all  acknowledge  gratefully 
our  debt  to  Dr.  Stanley  Hall  for  the  widespread  interest 
in  the  United  States  created  by  his  labors  in  the  move- 
ment known  as  Child  Study.  In  this  book  are  collected 
the  first  great  European  contributions  to  the  subject. 
They  are  so  subtle  and  so  suggestive  that  every  teacher 
should  begin  his  pedagogical  training  by  reading  and 
studying  them. 


m 


viii  EDITOR'S  PREFACE. 


In  fche  essay  on  How  Lina  learned  to  Read  and  Write, 
at  the  close  of  the  volume,  one  may  see  what  is  expected 
of  a  child  whose  self -activity  has  been  properly  developed 
in  a  good  kindergarten.  The  greatest  lesson  of  the  school 
is  the  lesson  of  self-help.  Froebel  proposed  to  have  each 
gift  or  object  of  study  considered  in  a  threefold  aspect  : 
first,  as  form  of  life;  second,  as  form  of  beauty;  and, 
third,  as  form  of  k^iowledge.  In  his  doctrine  of  this  three- 
fold significance  of  objects  of  learning,  the  mother  and 
the  teacher  will  find  a  safe  guide  to  the  education  which 
best  develops  self-help  in  the  child. 

W.  T.  Harris. 
Washington.  D.  C,  March,  1895. 


AMERICAN  PREFACE. 


I  HAVE  been  sorry  to  give  so  masculine  a  preponder- 
ance to  the  child  in  this  book,  but  the  necessity  for  this 
mode  of  expression  must  be  attributed  to  the  peculiarities 
of  our  language.  Many  sentences  would  be  unintelligible 
if  "  it "  were  always  used  to  designate  a  child  as  well  as  an 
object.  I  might  have  used  "  her  "  instead  of  "  him,"  but 
where,  then,  would  have  been  the  masculine  supremacy  ? 

The  music  for  most  of  the  rhymes  contained  in  this 
book  are  to  be  found  in  Kohler's  Bewegung  Spiele,  which 
I  have  translated,  and  hope  to  see  in  print. 

Josephine  Jarvis. 
CoBDEN,  Illinois,  July  7, 1893. 


H 


PKEFAOE. 


Family  considerations,  and  a  lively  interest  in  Fried- 
rich  Froebel  and  his  endeavors,  determined  me  long  since 
to  devote  some  of  my  very  scanty  leisure  to  the  study  of 
the  literary  writings  left  by  Froebel,  all  of  which  were 
most  willingly  placed  in  my  hands  for  compilation  by 
members  of  the  family,  and  especially  by  Madame  Louise 
Froebel.  I  aim  to  do  all  in  my  power  to  give  a  complete 
representation  of  the  man  of  whom  at  this  time  so  much 
is  said.  For  this  purpose  I  have  collected  his  original 
writings,  which  give  authentic  particulars  of  his  develop- 
ment and  that  of  his  endeavors.  Thus  has  resulted  a 
work  which  separates  into  two  divisions.  The  first  depicts 
Friedrich  Froebel  in  his  development  as  a  man  and  as  a 
pedagogue,  in  general ;  the  second  treats  of  him  as  the 
founder  of  the  kindergarten. 

The  first  would  have  been  ready  for  sale  at  this  time 
if,  firstly,  it  had  not  required  the  most  work  on  my  part — 
revisions,  appendixes,  explanatory  notes,  and  elucidations, 
etc ;  and,  secondly,  if  I  had  not  felt  obliged  to  assist  the 
newly  established  Erziehung  der  Gegenwart,  edited  by 
Dr.  Karl  Schmidt,  by  articles  which  must  be  taken  from 
the  before-mentioned  first  division.  Undoubtedly  it  would 
now  be  more  correct  and  more  effective  for  the  attainment 
of  my  object  if  I  sent  the  first  division  into  the  world  be- 


xii  PREFACE. 

fore  the  second ;  but  the  lack  of  writings  on  the  subject 
of  the  kindergarten  from  Froebel's  own  pen  is  as  great  as 
the  desire  for  them. 

Moreover,  literary  freebooters  continue  to  permit  them- 
selves all  kinds  of  unlawful  encroachments  on  Madame 
Froebel's  rights  of  possession,  which  nuisance  must  be 
finally  and  completely  stopped  once  for  all.  Therefore  I 
send  forth  the  following  original  articles,  although  re- 
luctantly— reluctantly,  because  they  should  serve  first  of 
all  as  sources  and  sketches  for  independent  works.  I 
have  thought  that  a  simple  publication  of  Froebel's 
works,  on  account  of  its  form,  would  not  be  advisable 
before  its  contents  had  already  become  the  possession  of 
many  by  means  of  an  easier  and  more  pleasing  style  of 
writing.  May  experience  prove  this  opinion  to  be  erro- 
neous, and  may  Froebel's  own  representations  accomplish 
more  and  have  a  better  result  than  those  of  his  ex- 
pounders ! 

My  aim  is  to  have  this  second  division  followed  by 
the  first,  which  consists  of  two  volumes,  and  contains  all 
the  rest  of  Froebel's  practical  works.  The  latter  partially 
requires  expositions  of  my  own,  which  I  think  of  under- 
taking in  the  future,  with  the  object  of  increasing  the 
spread  of  the  ingenious  devices  of  the  Thuringian  friend 
of  children. 

This  gift  will  certainly  be  welcome  not  only  to  the 
teachers  in  training  schools  for  kindergartners  and  chil- 
dren's nurses,  but  also  to  all  who  take  an  interest  in 
Friedrich  Froebel's  endeavors. 

Dr.  Wichard  Lakge. 
Hamburg,  November  10, 1861. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAOB 

I. — The  Two  Views.    A  New- Year's  Meditation  .       .        1 
II. — Plan  of  an  Institution  for  fostering  the  Impulse 

TO  Creative  Activity 14 

III. — Child-Life.    The  First  Action  of  the  Child.        .      23 
IV. — The  Ball  :  The  First  Plaything  of  Childhood    .      32 
V. — The  Seed  Corn  and  the  Child.    A  Comparison      .      61 
VI. — The  Play  and  Playing  of  the  Child  in  Harmony 
WITH  his  Development  and  with  the  Totality  of  • 

THE  Relations  of  his  Life 63 

VII. — The  Sphere  and  the  Cube  :  The  Second  Plaything 

OF  the  Child 70 

VIIL— First  Review  of  the  Play  ;  or,  The  Means  of  fos- 
tering THE  Child's  Impulse  to  employ  Himself   .    104 
IX. — The  Third  Play  of  the  Child  and  a  Cradle  Song  .    108 
X. — The  Continued  Development  of  the  Child,  and  the 

Self-unfolding  Play  with  the  Ball      .        .        .    145 
XL — The  Fourth  Play  of  the  Child        ....    166 
Xir. — Second  Review  of  Plays — A  Fragment    .        .        .    196 
XIII. — The  Fifth  Gift.    The  Cube  divided  equally  twice 
IN  EACH  Dimension  and  with  Obliquely  Divided 
Component  Cubes.    Evolution  of  this  Gift  from 
THE  Preceding  Gifts,  and  from  the  Nature  of 
THE  Child  and  his  Environment    ....    201 

XIV.— Movement  Plays    .        . 237 

XV,— How  Lina  learned  to  Write  and  Read  .       ,       .    286 


ANALYSIS  OF  CONTENTS  BY  THE 
TKANSLATOR. 

I.  (P.  1)  Thetwoviews— a  New- Year's  meditation.  Looking  backward 
over  the  old  year,  man  sees  what  he  has  done  or  neglected ;  gained  or  lost ; 
the  reasons  for  failure  in  attainment;  (2)  the  spirit  of  his  strivings;  finds 
new  germs  of  action  ;  looks  forward  to  the  new  year  with  hopes ;  ways  and 
means  for  attaining  his  object;  sees  the  foundation  of  all  to  be  correct 
comprehension  of  the  nature  of  the  child  and  a  suitable  method  of  training 
him  for  his  all-sided  destiny ;  man  a  member  of  a  larger  whole— the  family, 
the  community,  the  nation,  the  race ;  only  as  member  of  a  social  whole  (3) 
can  man  attain  the  realization  of  his  destiny  ;  asks  all  to  unite  with  him  in 
working  for  all ;  "  Come,  let  us  live  with  our  children  " ;  this  is  the  motto 
for  the  year  to  come,  and  will  make  it  indeed  a  new  year  ;  what  awakes  in 
•us  the  anticipation  is  the  thought  of  all  men  in  all  times ;  (4)  every  one 
has  been  a  child  ;  importance  of  childhood ;  on  it  depends  the  growth  of 
the  man ;  we  live  our  own  best  life  in  caring  for  the  proper  nurture  of  our 
children ;  this  life  of  the  individual  as  a  part  and  at  the  same  time  as  a 
whole  is  the  most  important  thought ;  the  sun  and  planets  are  part  of  a 
whole ;  the  elements — earth,  air,  water,  light,  heat — are  each  separate,  and 
yet  each  depends  upon  the  whole  of  which  each  is  a  part ;  the  parts  of  a 
plant  likewise ;  (5)  in  all  Nature  the  individual  tries  to  realize  in  itself  the 
whole ;  man's  superiority  to  plants,  animals,  etc. ;  the  desire  to  "  live  with 
our  children  "  unites  us  with  man,  with  the  creation,  and  with  the  Creator ; 
(6)  the  deed,  the  direct  result  of  resolution  and  effort  and  the  embodiment 
of  the  uniting  thought  of  living  "  with  our  children,"  is  an  institution  for 
training  the  human  being  by  fostering  his  impulse  to  activity  ;  an  institu- 
tion where  each  teaches,  trains,  and  educates  himself  by  play  and  by  crea- 
tive activity;  foundation  of  the  whole  future  life  of  each  being  laid  in 
his  infancy  ;  (7)  importance  of  understanding  this  infancy  ;  comparison  of 
child  to  a  flower  bud  ;  of  man  to  a  tree  ;  complete  development  of  man  de- 
pends on  correct  understanding  of  the  child ;  man  as  a  created  being,  a 
part  and  a  whole ;  (8)  man's  nature  made  known  by  the  child's  impulse  to 
creative  activity  ;  family  life  connecting  father,  mother,  and  child  ;  man  as 


xvi  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

a  member  of  the  family ;  development  of  the  child's  impulse  to  creative  ac- 
tivity conditioned  by  and  connected  with  family  life ;  (9)  genuine  educa- 
tion linked  with  fostering  this  impulse  ;  object  of  our  endeavor  ;  family  love 
shown  in  this  impulse  and  increased  by  fostering  it ;  what  is  necessary  for 
man  as  a  created  being ;  (10)  what  is  required  in  order  to  see,  to  recognize, 
and  to  perceive ;  life,  love,  and  light— three,  yet  one  ;  God  reveals  himself 
as  life,  love,  and  light;  (11)  the  child's  nature  also  shows  itself  in  life, 
love,  and  light;  connection  of  the  child  by  these  three  with  Nature, 
humanity,  and  God;  man  a  child  of  Nature,  humanity,  and  God;  (12) 
requirements  for  man's  becoming  a  completely  developed  human  being ; 
(13)  comparison  of  the  institution  to  a  tree. 

II.  Plan  of  an  institution  for  fostering  the  tendency  to  creative  activity. 
(P.  14)  How  one  must  seek  to  live  and  act  so  that  his  actions  may  have  a 
beneficial  and  lasting  effect ;  what  he  must  endeavor  to  do ;  educational 
axiom ;  how  to  treat  children  so  as  not  to  cripple  their  present  and  future 
life ;  the  highest  aim  of  Rfe ;  its  demand  upon  all  educators ;  why  those 
inclined  to  foster  the  child's  impulse  to  activity  fail  in  so  doing  ;  (18)  aim 
of  the  institution ;  its  plan ;  the  spirit  and  character  of  the  means  of  em- 
ployment ;  means  by  which  adults  may  train  and  instruct  themselves ; 
what  it  is  hoped  to  accomplish  by  the  institution  ;  (22)  why  the  plays, 
etc.,  begin  with  the  simple ;  a  whole  series  of  plays  and  occupations  for 
children. 

III.  The  child's  life.  (P.  23)  The  first  actions  of  the  child ;  activity 
and  action,  the  first  phenomena  of  child-life,  express  that  which  is  within ; 
united  with  sensation  and  perception  point  toward  the  understanding  of 
one's  self ;  the  child's  desire  to  do  something  appears  when  he  is  only  three 
months  old  ;  (24) ;  all  education  should  proceed  from  and  be  connected 
with  this  desire  to  do  ;  (25)  the  helplessness  of  the  young  child  a  sign  of 
his  superiority  to  the  young  animal ;  the  animal  and  its  instincts ;  man 
and  the  spontaneous  activity  of  his  will ;  (26)  the  baby's  helplessness  the 
opposite  of  the  man's  capacity  for  self-helpfulness;  overcoming  outward 
hindrances  by  his  force  of  will  and  his  increased  power  of  action ;  (27)  the 
poles  and  the  central  point  of  child-life ;  self- employment  the  key  to  the 
life  of  man  in  childhood  and  youth ;  habit  proceeds  from  helplessness, 
will,  and  the  employing  of  one's  self ;  each  phenomenon  in  child-life  calls 
forth  its  opposite  ;  importance  of  studying  the  cause  and  the  result  of  habit 
in  child-life  is  as  great  as  of  studying  the  child's  imjiulse  to  activity  ;  the 
child's  desire  to  make  himself  one  with  his  surroundings  (early  shown  by 
the  child)  proves  the  existence  and  working  of  his  desire  to  be  active  and 
busy ;  (28)  habit  and  imitation  important  to  observe ;  threefold  phenom- 
ena in  the  life  of  the  child — viz.,  activity,  habit,  and  imitation — sure  in- 
dices for  correct  training ;  aims ;  child  independence ;  physical  perfection 
if  possible ;  (29)  the  child's  first  gaze  ;  first  voluntary  employments  of  the 


ANALYSIS  OF  CONTENTS  BY  THE  TRANSLATOR,  xvii 

child ;  first  earthly  destiny  of  the  child ;  recognition  of  life ;  (30)  man 
fitted  to  fulfill  his  destiny  by  senses,  organs,  bodily  strength,  material 
means ;  his  nature  a  perceptive  and  uniting  spirit  that  he  may  compre- 
hend spiritual  unity ;  importance  of  early  training ;  importance  of  the  kind 
of  training;  life  of  man,  being  a  unit,  is  recognized  in  the  first  baby  life; 
appeal  to  parents,  etc.,  for  the  right  development;  spiritual  activities  con- 
tained in  the  life  of  the  child ;  (31)  the  mother's  treatment  of  the  child 
based  on  the  last-mentioned  fact ;  outermost  point  and  innermost  ground 
of  all  phenomena  in  the  early  life  of  the  child  is  to  bring  into  exercise  the 
child's  dim  anticipations ;  therefore  must  be  given  an  object  expressing 
stability  and  movability  which  the  child  can  grasp ;  in  which  it  can  see  its 
own  life,  and  test  and  exercise  such  life — the  Sphere  or  Ball. 

IV.  (P.  32)  The  ball ;  its  importance ;  its  charm ;  the  child  perceives 
each  object  in  the  ball ;  perceives  himself  also  as  a  unity ;  the  child  seeks 
to  develop  himself  and  everything  in  Nature  by  its  opposite;  (35)  the  ball 
to  be  considered  and  used  in  accordance  with  the  needs  of  the  child  and 
the  nature  of  the  ball ;  the  child  likes  to  see  and  grasp  things ;  the  hands 
adapted  to  hold  a  ball ;  clasping  it  strengthens  the  muscles,  also  develops 
the  hands  and  fingers;  much  depends  on  right  handling  and  grasping, 
in  the  actual  as  well  as  the  figurative  sense ;  as  the  child's  use  of  limbs 
and  senses  increases,  the  ball  shows  itself  as  separate  from  him ;  (36)  con- 
sequent exercise  by  mother  or  nurse  with  the  ball — pleasing  and  instruc- 
tive to  the  child ;  showing  the  ball  to  be  an  individual  object ;  this  simple 
activity  important  for  the  child ;  it  perceives  by  it  union  and  separation ; 
the  feeling  of  oneness  and  individuality  important ;  (37)  necessity  to  com- 
mence early  the  development  of  the  child,  perceiving  and  awakening  in- 
dividual power  and  activity :  observe  progressive  development  of  strength 
by  means  of  a  measuring  object — the  ball ;  the  dim  perceptions  which 
first  dawn  on  the  child,  and  are  the  most  important,  are  the  ideas  of  being, 
having,  and  becoming ;  from  these  the  three  perceptions  of  object,  space, 
and  time  develop  in  the  mind  of  the  child ;  (38)  the  new  perceptions  of 
present,  past,  and  future  in  respect  to  time  develop  from  play  with  the 
ball ;  the  child's  development  has  its  foundation  in  almost  imperceptible 
attainments  and  perceptions ;  repetition  increases  and  clarifies  perceptions ; 
when  two  different  and  separate  perceptions  have  been  received  by  the 
ehild,  the  third  and  following  perceptions  proceed  from  them ;  the  whole 
attention  of  the  fosterer  should  be  given  to  this  truth  early  in  the  life  of 
the  child;  on  what  the  attainment  of  the  earthly  destiny  depends;  (39) 
the  mother  often  does  the  right  thing,  but  not  logically ;  we  wish  for  a 
whole,  consciously  and  progressively  formed ;  consciousness  develops  from 
connection  of  opposites ;  (40)  to  become  conscious  of  itself  the  first  task  in 
the  life  of  the  child ;  the  mother's  impulses  taking  right  directions ;  connect- 
ing words  with  actions ;  how  form  this  word-accompanying  play  with  the 

\ 


xviii       PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

child?  (41)  we  give  an  indication  of  it;  observe  the  first  expressions  of  the 
child's  inner  life ;  (42)  no  directions  of  the  child's  nature  should  be  culti- 
vated at  the  expense  of  the  others ;  the  heart  and  emotions  are  the  starting 
point  of  human  development;  (43)  description  of  play  with  ball  hanging 
to  a  string ;  (44)  same  continued ;  the  child,  having  perceived  the  circling 
movement,  sees  the  spiral ;  (45)  continuance  of  the  play ;  the  child  to  take 
the  consequence  of  his  actions ;  continuance  of  play  ;  (46)  efi'ect  of  play  on 
the  child :  man  appears  in  the  child ;  (47)  illustration  of  the  above ;  goes 
back  to  the  ball ;  prominent  is  the  fact  that  it  offers  only  the  fundamental 
form;  multifariousness  of  movement  considered;  (51)  plays  should  be  car- 
ried on  with  other  objects,  but  the  ball  remains  the  explaining  and  uniting 
principle ;  as  the  child's  physical  powers  increase,  the  play  with  the  ball 
is  extended ;  description  of  play ;  teaching  to  stand — to  hold  himself  in 
equilibrium ;  (52)  the  father's  help  here  comes  in  developingly ;  constantly 
progressive  development  given  by  the  ball ;  (53)  first  childish  plays  im- 
portant for  growth  of  the  child ;  through  the  ball  the  child  perceives  unity ; 
(54)  the  ball  leads  to  the  consideration  of  the  most  important  phenomena 
and  laws  of  earth -life  and  the  life  of  Nature ;  therefore  the  ball  places  man 
in  the  midst  of  all ;  the  ball  a  connection  between  mother  and  child — the 
child  and  its  surroundings — the  child  and  Nature ;  (55)  the  ball  and  play 
with  it  lay  hold  of  the  whole  man  as  child,  in  respect  to  body,  mind,  and 
soul ;  (56)  also  on  intellect ;  the  playful  employments  considered  as  a 
whole  do  this  still  more  ;  the  series  of  plays  belongs  to  the  actual,  external, 
and  creative  life;  another  series  of  plays  shows  an  inner  unity;  (57) the 
course  of  childish  employments  is  pursued  uninterruptedly,  and  leads  to 
harmonious  training;  by  it  the  parent  can  decide  to  which  side  of  the 
cultivation  the  child  inclines;  the  child  should  not  be  cultivated  one- 
sidedly;  ball  cultivates  mental  training;  (58)  how  the  mother's  actions, 
feelings,  and  thoughts  aftect  the  child ;  also  her  love,  faith,  and  hope ;  the 
child  susceptible  ;  how  life  is  comprehended ;  (59)  play  develops  the  child's 
capacity  for  speech  ;  (60)  how  the  play  with  the  ball  strengthens  the  child. 

V.  Observation  of  the  seed-corn  ;  (p.  61)  does  the  word  "  child  "  express 
less  ?  why  we  foster  a  seed-corn;  why  try  to  understand  it  ?  is  the  nature 
of  man  and  humanity  less  unknown  to  us  ?  (62)  why  not  give  to  the  study 
of  the  child  and  its  needs  what  we  give  to  the  seed-corn  'i 

VI.  (P.  63)  As  the  child's  first  nourishment  must  be  in  harmony  with 
his  digestive  organs,  so  must  the  nourishment  of  his  soul-life  be  in  accord- 
ance with  the  development  of  its  members,  especially  with  the  organs  of 
sense ;  rest  the  first  deinand  of  the  bodily  life — movement,  of  the  soul-life  ; 
(64)  as  the  mouth  takes  in  the  fluid,  and  in  the  fluid  the  solid,  so  the  eye 
perceives  motion,  especially  that  of  light,  and  perceives  the  object  by 
means  of  this  motion  ;  therefore  the  mother  early  calls  the  child's  atten- 
tion to  what  is  light ;  little  Children  like  to  look  at  the  sun,  etc. ;  pleased 


ANALYSIS  OF  CONTENTS  BY  THE  TRANSLATOR,    xix 

with  radiate  forms ;  (66)  for  this  development  we  give  the  mother  the  col- 
ored ball ;  first  impressions  of  the  child ;  (66)  its  own  activity  and  mother- 
love  ;  fostering  of  mutual  life  is  the  union,  the  fount ;  the  child  must  be 
rightly  comprehended  in  all  its  relations ;  by  looking  back  we  find  how 
careful  fostering  has  developed  our  own  lives ;  (67)  learn  from  this  how 
to  base  the  child's  guidance  on  its  true  foundation ;  all  development  cor- 
responds; the  child  perceives  life  in  himself,  and  outside  of  himself;  so 
with  man;  the  child  perceives  this  in  play, the  man  in  Nature;  intellectual 
and  spiritual  condition  changed  in  the  mother  after  the  birth  of  her  child  ; 

(68)  this  condition  should  be  fostered  for  the  sake  of  the  child  ;  relations  of 
mother  and  child ;  the  first  play  observes  and  fosters  this  reciprocal  life ; 

(69)  as  the  child  becomes  older  it  demands  a  purely  opposite  body,  making 
itself  known  by  noise,  sound,  and  tone ;  here  the  cube  is  introduced. 

VII.  (P.  70)  The  sphere  and  cube  give  more  pleasure  than  the  ball 
during  the  second  half  of  the  first  year ;  the  sphere  and  cube  are  alike  and 
unlike,  therefore  belong  together  imdivided  as  a  play ;  the  two  in  common 
form  a  unity ;  important  to  notice  the  relation  in  which  the  child's  play- 
thing and  play  appear  to  the  child,  to  his  surroundings,  to  Nature,  and  to 
God ;  play  should  be  in  harmony  with  the  all-life ;  (71)  we  endeavor  to  satisfy 
this  harmony  with  sphere  and  cube  as  before  with  the  ball ;  hints  for  the  use 
of  sphere  and  cube ;  the  free  circling  movement  gives  pleasure ;  the  sound  is 
a  higher  sign  of  life  to  the  child ;  (73)  this  play  develops  the  hearing  and 
speaking  capacity  of  the  child  ;  play  with  the  sphere ;  (74)  continuation  of 
play  with  the  sphere  ;  important  impressions  made  on  the  child  by  seeing 
the  sphere  in  different  positions ;  important  that  the  child  should  clearly 
perceive  the  difference  between  sphere  and  cube ;  (75)  the  sphere  the 
natural  advance  step  in  the  series  of  playthings ;  play  by  mother  and  child ; 
important  that  the  child  should  designate  correctly,  as  well  as  clearly  com- 
prehend ;  through  this  the  life  of  the  child  becomes  symmetrical ;  (76)  the 
cube  as  the  pure  opposite  of  the  sphere  inducts  the  child  into  new  ways  of 
perception  ;  play  differs — the  cube  requires  a  plane  on  which  to  stand ;  the 
sphere  needs  only  a  point ;  the  cube  a  surface  ;  further  description  impor- 
tant to  produce  inward  harmony  between  the  child  and  the  surrounding 
world  by  tone  and  glance ;  (77)  if  this  is  neglected  the  child  becomes  sooner 
conscious  of  oppositeness  and  separation  than  of  mutuality  and  union ;  play 
with  the  cube  showing  that  strength  is  required  to  move  it ;  (78)  the  child's 
strength  should  be  drawn  into  this  play ;  manifoldness  of  development 
aroused  ;  (79)  continuation  of  play  of  dropping  the  sphere  or  cube ;  plays  to 
correspond  to  the  child's  needs ;  not  to  be  in  opposition  to  his  wishes ;  plays 
arising  from  the  desire  to  grasp  too  many  things  at  the  same  time ;  variety 
if  possible  by  change  of  hands ;  (80)  the  cube  stands  on  one  surface,  totters 
if  placed  on  an  edge,  unless  supported  by  some  other  object;  putting  these 
facts  into  words  deepens  their  impression  on  the  child's  mind ;  (81)  connec- 


XX  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

tion  of  plays  on  page  80 ;  the  child  helps  his  mother ;  enjoys  play  morw , 
reproduces  it  when  older;  the  child  beats  with  cube  on  table;  rhyme  for 
this  play  showing  it  is  well  not  to  injure  any  object,  even  one  which  feels 
no  pain;  (82)  the  cube  placed  on  one  corner;  held  upright  in  that  posi- 
tion by  pressure  of  finger  of  the  left  hand ;  turning  on  its  axis  by  the  finger 
of  the  right  hand;  lasting  effect  of  these  plays  on  the  child;  (83)  the 
child  notices  what  is  needed  to  make  the  cube  stand  firmly,  to  make  it 
move  easily ;  will  himself  do  what  is  needed ;  the  child's  attention  hith- 
erto directed  to  the  actions  and  positions  of  the  object ;  play  of  hiding  and 
showing  given  with  the  ball,  also  used  with  the  cube;  mother  hides  the 
cube  in  her  hand  ;  (84)  child  tries  to  find  it ;  mother  opens  her  hand  ;  effect 
of  this  play  on  the  child,  showing  one  surface  of  cube  while  covering  the 
rest;  child  tries  to  open  the  mother's  hand ;  (85)  mother  shows  two  sur- 
faces, hiding  the  others ;  opens  hand ;  shows  tliree  surfaces ;  the  numbers  in 
the  rhymes  merely  intended  for  change  of  sound  accompanying  change  of 
position ;  (86)  the  child  receives  impression  of  the  form  of  the  cube  by  means 
of  this  play ;  order  of  plays  given  in  the  book  may  be  different  in  the  nur- 
sery ;  what  mothers  and  nurses  should  clearly  perceive  with  regard  to  these 
plays ;  premonition  that  comes  to  the  child  intrusted  to  them ;  the  child's 
play  makes  it  easier  for  him  in  manhood  to  get  a  premonition  of  the  law  of 
life ;  (87)  the  previous  play  with  the  cube  brought  to  view  its  space  and  form 
mostly  when  at  rest ;  we  now  consider  its  movements ;  the  simplest  is  swing- 
ing, first  by  a  surface ;  next  by  an  edge;  then  by  a  corner;  (88)  the  child 
perceives  difference  between  apparent  and  real  shape  of  cube  ;  importance 
of  repeating  perceptions  in  different  forms;  reason  for  this  importance ;  the 
three  different  positions  and  axes  of  the  cube;  these  perceptions  confirmed 
by  the  following  plays;  (89)  thin  stick  put  through  cube  in  each  of  its 
three  directions  ;  cube  turned  on  its  surface  axis  by  fingers  of  right  hand ; 
new  form  of  cube  attracts  the  child's  attention ;  the  stick  put  through  edges 
of  cube  which  turnes  on  its  edge-axis ;  (90)  the  stick  put  through  corners ; 
the  cube  turned  on  this  axis  ;  the  cube  hanging  by  a  string  attached  to  its 
surface;  twisting,  untwisting,  and  retwisting  of  string;  (91)  play  repeated 
with  string  attached  to  edge;  then  string  attached  to  corner;  the  plays 
given,  by  no  means  all  that  are  possible ;  sphere  and  cube  used  separately ; 
(92)  used  together;  sphere  expresses  motion;  cube  rest;  the  two  together 
express  the  living  thing ;  the  child's  liking  for  round  pebbles ;  for  straight- 
edged  objects  ;  connection  suggests  the  human  being  ;  the  child's  dim  an- 
ticipation of  the  nature  and  destiny  of  man ;  cause  of  child's  delight  in 
baby-doll ;  difference  between  boy  and  girl ;  between  their  destinies  ;  (94) 
Froebel  asks  parents  to  consider  in  this  way,  early  in  the  child's  life,  all  the 
indications  of  its  inner  spiritual  nature ;  objection ;  objection  met ;  further 
remarks  on  this  subject  deferred;  return  to  play  with  sphere  and  cube; 
(96)  purpose  important  to  the  life  and  development  of  man;  why  cube 


ANALYSIS  OF  CONTENTS  BY  THE  TRANSLATOR,    xxi 

should  be  represented  as  speaking  of  itself  to  the  child ;  how  the  mother 
seeks  to  give  the  true  expresision  to  this  visible  speech ;  what  his  play, 
his  surroundings,  Nature,  and  the  universe  may  thus  become  to  the 
child ;  (96)  reason  for  early  beginning  of  this  manner  of  developing  the 
child ;  what  is  essential  for  nurses  to  consider  with  regard  to  ball,  sphere, 
and  cube  ;  why  something  normal  should  be  given  to  the  child  ;  man  can 
not  grasp  each  thing  in  all  its  relations ;  reason  for  this  fact ;  thorough 
understanding  oi one  thing  helps  toward  the  understanding  of  all  things; 
(97)  understanding  of  sphere  and  cube  fits  child  to  recognize,  observe,  and 
handle  all  other  things ;  a  simple  normal  form  (as  a  means  of  all-sided  de- 
velopment and  self-education)  greatly  lacking ;  hints  of  moral  character  of 
the  sphere  and  cube,  and  way  to  treat  other  objects ;  different  positions  of  a 
book  :  speech  given  to  book  in  the  play  ;  (98)  box  turned  on  corner  axis; 
single  perceptions  of  different  objects  alternate  with  normal  perceptions  of 
cube  and  sphere  ;  by  such  play  the  child  comes  to  the  premonition  of  unity, 
constancy,  and  conformity  to  law ;  what  it  is  essential  for  man  to  perceive  at 
a  later  period  of  life ;  representation  of  other  objects  by  sphere  and  cube ; 
(99)  different  things  which  cube  may  represent ;  what  the  child  may  be  led 
to  perceive ;  what  endears  object  to  the  child  ;  (100)  inner  union  of  mother 
and  child  gives  their  play  its  true  life ;  threefold  love  on  the  part  of  the 
mother ;  similar  feelings  of  the  child ;  effect  on  child  of  means  of  play ;  degree 
of  satisfaction  of  life,  mind,  and  heart  determines  character  of  child's  future 
life ;  this  inner  satisfaction  should  be  early  confirmed  and  fostered  in  the 
child;  (101)  what  depends  on  this;  under  what  conditions  the  child  will 
attain  this  satisfaction ;  the  child  feels  the  trinity  of  necessity,  law,  and  love ; 
finds  them  to  be  the  condition  of  genuine  satisfaction ;  the  youth,  possessing 
this  treasure,  can  be  safely  trusted  in  the  world ;  why  he  can  be  thus  trusted ; 
one  of  the  most  essential  aims  of  these  plays ;  three  things  to  be  considered 
in  the  plays  ;  (102)  effect  of  these  and  the  following  plays,  from  what  they 
originated,  and  for  what  purpose  they  were  formed ;  circumstances  under 
which  surliness,  etc.,  find  a  home  in  the  child's  nature  ;  how  the  child  can 
be  preserved  from  them ;  (103)  illustration  of  last  statement ;  first  and 
second  gifts  connect  with  the  child's  development  of  speech. 

VIII.  (P.  104)  First  review  of  the  play,  or  the  means  of  fostering  the 
child's  impulse  to  employ  himself.  Important  to  see  what  has  been  set 
forth  up  to  this  point ;  the  clear  comprehension  of  unity,  the  entire  compass 
of  its  variety,  plurality,  and  totality  important ;  the  progressive  course  of 
the  carrying  out  of  the  plays ;  their  inner  vital  coherence  should  be  shown 
to  the  child ;  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  wnole  in  general ;  (105)  the  first 
object  used  was  the  ball  in  contrast  with  the  sphere  and  cube ;  the  child 
perceives  life  and  exercises  faculties ;  by  the  sphere  and  cube  he  becomes 
more  conscious  of  his  senses  and  exercises  them ;  the  ball  a  representative 
and  means  of  perception  to  the  child  of  a  single  effect  caused  by  a  single 


xxii        PEDAGOGICS  OB^  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

power ;  the  sphere  the  representative  of  every  isolated  simple  unity ;  the 
cube  the  representative  of  each  continuing,  developing,  manifold  body ;  in 
sphere  and  cube  are  presented  the  resemblances  between  opposites  so  im- 
portant to  his  whole  human  life;  (106)  the  sphere  and  cube  express  the 
animated  and  active ;  child  tries  to  divide  or  open  everything  ;  the  sphere 
and  cube  the  necessary  advance ;  child's  delight  in  building  up,  tearing 
down,  uniting,  separating;  forms  of  life;  (107)  exhibition  of  results  as  re- 
gards these  plays,  and  these  means  of  fostering  the  impulse  to  activity. 

IX.  (P.  108)  The  third  play  of  the  child  and  a  cradle  song;  children's 
play  by  no  means  to  be  treated  as  offering  merely  a  way  for  passing  the 
time,  but  rather  that  by  them  the  child's  innermost  nature  may  be  satisfied ; 
the  fact  to  be  held  firm  that  in  the  employment  and  play  of  the  child, 
especially  in  the  first  four  years,  not  only  the  germ  but  also  the  core  of  hia 
whole  future  life  is  shaped ;  therefore,  we  must  recognize  individuality, 
selfhood,  future  personality,  as  already  contained  in'  a  germ  or  vital  center ; 
what  proceeds  from  voluntary  employment;  (109)  what  we  miss  in  the 
children;  how  amend  this;  (110)  how  develop  love  for  parents,  respect  for 
age;  how  make  them  observant  and  active  in  thought;  (111)  perceive  how 
the  child  values  the  giving  spirit,  the  loving  glance ;  notice  the  spiritual  in 
the  phenomena  of  the  earliest  child-life ;  (112)  child  likes  to  go  into  the 
open  air,  welcomes  his  little  cloak  ;  point  out  to  him  surrounding  objects ; 
child  not  satisfied  with  mere  bodily  care ;  consider  this  phenomenon  in  its 
innermost  causes ;  (113)  the  respect  and  love  of  children  are  secured  to  par- 
ents and  older  persons  by  what  they  do  for  the  mental  growth  of  the  child ; 
the  child  does  not  like  to  be  left  alone ;  the  care  for  the  fostering  of  the 
innermost  begins  early;  (114)  the  inner  spiritual  perceptions  of  the  child 
are  often  far  in  advance  of  their  outward  manifestation  ;  it  is  possible  to 
accustom  the  child  early  to  purity  of  heart  as  well  as  cleanliness  of  body  ; 
(115)  feeling  himself  a  whole,  and  also  a  single  member  of  a  higher  life 
unity,  will  cause  to  germinate  in  the  life  of  the  child  love  and  gratitude 
toward  his  parents,  respect  and  veneration  for  age.  This  is  the  aim  of 
these  plays  ;  the  spirit  from  which  they  proceed  is  the  spirit  of  unity  of  all 
life ;  (116)  with  the  first  of  these  plays  the  adult  seems  outwardly  more 
employed  than  the  child ;  object  of  the  play  to  make  the  spirit  free  first ;  the 
child  comes  to  the  free  use  of  his  senses  sooner  than  to  that  of  his  limbs ; 
(117)  physical  employment  will  follow  spiritual  in  due  time;  sole  object  in 
the  fostering  of  childhood  is  innermost  union  with  all  that  is  called  life ; 
the  two  former  play-gifts  contribute  to  this ;  this  third  play -gift  does  so 
still  more  variedly ;  try  to  find  what  attracts  the  child ;  (118)  the  child 
tries  to  alter  tne  form,  discover  new  properties,  etc. ;  after  comprehending 
the  outside,  he  likes  to  investigate  its  inside ;  to  see  the  parts  after  seeing 
the  whole ;  then  to  create  the  whole ;  for  this  is  given  to  him  the  divided 
cube ;  (119)  cube  divided  into  eight  e<iual  cubes  ;  a  whole  and  a  part  thus 


ANALYSIS  OF  CONTENTS  BY  THE  TRANSLATOR,  xxiii 

distinguished  as  a  fact ;  parts  show  the  same  form  as  the  whole ;  size  is 
distinguished  from  form ;  the  child  learns  position  and  arrangement ;  dis- 
tinguishes outer  and  inner;  (120)  this  first  divisible  plaything  fitted  to 
develop  the  child  ;  appears  to  him  as  the  key  to  the  outer  world ;  this  im- 
portant to  development ;  by  the  use  of  this  gift  the  general  is  recognized  in 
the  particular ;  the  most  general  in  the  most  particular ;  the  inner  as  outer; 
that  which  is  felt  and  thought  as  a  thing  that  has  shape ;  the  unity  appears 
as  a  plurality,  and  thus  the  invisible  becomes  perceptible  in  the  visible ; 
(122)  why  the  too-finished  plaything  fails ;  the  nature  of  the  child  is  to  feel 
and  experience,  act  and  represent,  think  and  recognize;  (123)  this  play- 
thing satisfies  the  child  by  making  it  possible  for  him  to  represent  and 
construct  forms  of  beauty  ;  it  is  perfectly  suitable  to  the  child  ;  provides 
free  action  for  him;  how  the  plaything  is  given  to  the  child;  (124)  con- 
tinuation of  presentation  of  plaything  ;  this  essential,  as  first  impressions 
are  important;  (125)  the  observation  of  what  is  small  and  even  impercepti- 
ble especially  important  in  the  mother's  room ;  use  of  cube  with  and  by 
the  child;  (126)  consideration  of  what  the  nurse  shall  do  ;  singing  accom- 
paniment; (127)  play  continued  with  song;  value  of  song;  (128)  the  child 
will  occupy  himself  partly  alone,  partly  with  nurse  in  arranging  blocks ; 
connecting  ideas  with  forms ;  child  desires  further  connection ;  (129)  con- 
nection with  persons,  with  the  details  of  life ;  stories  told  in  connection 
with  forms;  (130)  cube  arranged  as  ladders;  story  of  ladders;  child  al- 
lowed the  greatest  freedom  of  invention  ;  experience  of  adult  accompanies 
and  explains;  essential  to  remark  that  all  the  eight  cubes  always  belong  to 
each  design  ;  (131)  in  this  play  nothing  need  ever  exist  without  a  relation  to 
something  else  ;  nor  must  anything  appear  without  this  relation ;  the  ulti- 
mate and  highest  aims  of  these  plays ;  beauty  forms ;  (132)  unity  shines 
forth  from  them ;  how  bring  this  inner  unity  to  the  perception  of  the 
child ;  (133)  let  us  go  on  this  path,  proceed  to  our  lesson  on  Fig.  1,  Plate 
V ;  surfaces  can  join  surfaces,  edges  edges,  so  the  like  can  join ;  opposites 
can  join  one  another;  (134)  this  is  made  perceptible  to  the  child  by  mov- 
ing and  removing  (Plate  V,  Figs.  1,  2,  3, 4) ;  singing  is  added  ;  (135)  changes 
with  inner  cubes  as  before  with  outer ;  development  of  the  four  inner  cubes 
(from  Fig.  4  to  Fig.  12;  return  from  Fig.  12  to  Fig.  4) ;  movement  of  outer 
cubes,  Plate  V,  Figs.  12  to  9 ;  no  undue  pressure  on  the  child's  development 
or  on  the  expression  of  his  inner  nature ;  the  whole  comprehended  from  one 
point ;  (136)  singing  accompaniment ;  forms  of  beauty  called  also  dance- 
forms  ;  possessing  totality  ;  each  individual  there  on  account  of  the  whole, 
and  the  whole  on  account  of  each  individual ;  (137)  experiment  with  halves ; 
what  it  teaches ;  (138)  what  the  child  has  learned  and  recognized  is  true  ; 
what  forms  of  knowledge  can  be  to  a  child  of  from  one  to  three  years ;  exer- 
cise with  cubes  showing  variety  of  changes ;  connect  with  singing ;  com- 
pare and  connect  with  song ;  (139)  illustrative  songs ;  (140)  similar  and  yet 


xxiv        PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

different  forms  presented  with  the  quarters ;  play  illustrating  relations  of 
position  as  forms  of  knowledge;  song  ;  these  songs  may  be  used  for  quiet- 
ing the  child  ;  (141)  nurses  can  apply  the  lessons  of  the  play  so  as  to  exert 
a  direct  influence  on  the  child ;  aim  of  this ;  (142)  what  presents  are  most 
prized  by  the  child  as  well  as  the  man;  encouragement  to  "live  with  our 
children";  importance  of  child's  plays  and  occupations;  (143)  mothers 
cradle  song;  (144)  conclusion  of  song. 

X.  (P.  145)  The  continued  development  of  the  child  and  the  self-unfold- 
ing play  with  the  ball.  A  new  play  does  not  preclude  the  use  of  earlier 
plays;  effect  of  earlier  and  later  plays  on  one  another;  plays  a  whole; 
their  spirit  one  of  union ;  development  of  child  also  a  whole ;  comprehen- 
sion of  the  child's  playing  as  a  great  living  whole;  (146)  what  these  play- 
things show  ;  use  of  ball  as  child's  strength  develops ;  example  of  more 
varied  play  with  the  ball ;  repetition  and  extension  of  play  ;  the  child  desires 
to  learn  the  significance  of  what  happens  around  him ;  (147)  of  what  this  de- 
sire is  the  foundation,  the  cause,  the  reason ;  the  child  desires  to  know  the 
means,  or  at  least  the  kind  of  relation  which  exists  between  things ;  he  even 
asks  the  object  for  its  meaning  and  relations ;  this  premonition  and  this 
demand  shown  especially  to  the  mother;  the  satisfying  of  these  makes  the 
child  love  and  reverence  parents  and  respect  age ;  weaving  play;  song  to 
increase  the  child's  perception  of  the  play ;  (148)  play  symbolizes  time  con- 
sumed in  weaving ;  the  child  not  to  be  told  this ;  he  feels  it  when  told  to 
weave ;  mothers  and  nurses  can  perceive  coherence  of  the  child's  play  with 
man's  life ;  other  words  for  play,  showing  the  accord  of  inner  and  outer  life ; 
another  side  of  play  with  the  ball ;  (149)  throwing  the  ball  on  inclined  sur- 
face and  catching  it  as  it  rolls  off;  song  for  play ;  meaning  of  play,  inclina- 
tion and  social  union ;  rhyme  ;  meaning,  quicker  movement  through  greater 
space ;  rhyme  showing  that  the  force  of  a  falling  body  is  increased  by  the 
greater  space  through  which  it  falls ;  (150)  child  pleased  by  ball's  rebound- 
ing from  wall ;  rhymes  for  this  play  hint  at  ball's  elasticity ;  also  at  the 
straightness  of  its  path ;  return  to  play  of  handling  ball  in  free  space ; 
reference  to  play  of  throwing  ball  from  one  hand  to  the  other;  (151)  to 
this  is  added  the  throwing  into  the  air ;  rhyme;  a  companion  in  the  play 
(before  solitary) ;  play  extended  ;  (152)  oblique  movements  added  to  weav- 
ing play-action  without  visible  result ;  extension  of  simple  throwing  play ; 
increased  distance  between  players  and  higher  arch  described  by  ball; 
(153)  play  extended  by  use  of  two  balls  ;  plays  adapted  to  child's  strength 
and  skill  which  they  develop ;  three  or  four  children  can  join  in  this 
play  ;  increased  time  in  the  passage  of  the  ball  causes  increased  desire  in 
each  child  to  have  the  ball  come  to  him ;  (154)  rhyme  sung  to  (or  with) 
four  or  more  children ;  six  or  eight  players,  if  skillful ;  may  have  two  or 
more  balls  of  different  colors ;  balls  compared  to  flowers ;  subordination  to 
law  of  motion ;  plays  in  harmony  with  higher  life  of  Nature  and  man ; 


ANALYSIS  OF  CONTENTS  BY  THE  TRANSLATOR,   xxv 

(155)  80  plays  can  not  be  too  carefully  cultivated ;  return  to  play  of  throw- 
ing ball  against  a  wall  ;  extension  of  play  in  which  two  or  more  children 
take  part;  apprentice  and  master  play;  continuation  of  this  play;  (156) 
conclusion  of  play  ;  (157)  this  play  an  image  of,  education  and  exercise  for, 
and  instruction  about  life ;  what  leads  to  the  goal  of  life ;  mother  must 
feel  the  spirit  of  these  plays ;  (158)  he  only  who  has  the  spirit  of  play  can 
call  it  forth ;  to  be  near  such  a  one  has  a  magnetic  effect  on  the  child ; 
mothers  and  nurses  should  be  trained  for  such  fostering ;  return  to  this  sub- 
ject later  ;  finish  discussion  of  play  ;  what  can  be  learned  byplay  of  throwing 
the  ball  down  on  a  flat  surface  and  driving  it  back  as  it  rebounds ;  the  child 
finds  that  strength  is  increased  by  use  ;  (159)  he  perceives  this  as  a  fact  of 
his  own  nature,  not  limited  to  play  with  the  ball ;  ball  song  showing  what 
the  child  needs  in  order  to  succeed  in  ball  play  ;  meaning,  to  hold  fast  one 
high  purpose  in  all  vicissitudes ;  incomplete  view  of  details  of  the  plays,  etc., 
already  given,  (160)  and  of  their  influence  on  man  proves  proposition  de- 
•ived  from  insight  into  child-nature  ;  such  nurture  influences  and  devel- 
ops the  child's  whole  nature ;  suflRcient  for  purposes  of  education  to  offer 
child  through  these  plays  all  we  desire  for  his  portion  in  life;  wish  that 
these  plays  may  be  the  possession  of  the  child-world ;  the  genuine  spirit  of 
child-life  could  then  be  recognized;  how  reach  this  result?  by  introduc- 
ing these  plays  and  occupations  into  infant  schools ;  (161)  gain  from  such 
introduction ;  for  what  the  plays,  etc.,  would  serve ;  what  we  must  con- 
sider them,  and  why ;  such  introduction  not  sufficient ;  establishment  of 
kindergartens ;  (162)  children  can  use  at  home  what  they  learned  at  kin- 
dergarten ;  effect  of  this  on  family  life  ;  aided  by  family  sympathy ;  union 
of  families  to  form  a  kindergarten  ;  Froebel  makes  a  proposition  and  dis- 
closes his  plan  for  union  of  families  into  societies  for  the  establishment  of 
institutions  ;  (163)  aim  of  such  institutions;  their  bcneflcial  results  ;  present 
training  of  child  unsuited  to  present  state  of  human  development ;  means 
to  be  sought  for  more  satisfactory  guidance  ;  what  these  means  are ;  fami- 
lies called  upon  form  such  united  organizations;  (164)  what  is  our  duty; 
need  of  institutions  to  train  those  who  are  to  have  the  care  of  cliildren ; 
training  school ;  offer  to  give  needed  information  to  parents  and  associa- 
tions;  mention  of  circumstances  favoring  Froebel's  training  school;  (165) 
a  wish  that  the  idea  may  find  accord  and  sympathy,  benefit  the  entire 
human  race,  and  prove  an  individual  as  well  as  a  general  blessing. 

XI.  (P.  166)  The  fourth  play  of  the  child;  the  child  and  the  play; 
find  the  exact  state  of  cultivation  the  child  has  reached  before  giving  a 
new  play ;  cause  of  the  child's  pleasure  in  the  gifts  he  receives;  (167)  this 
faith  should  be  preserved;  why?  (168)  what  parents,  nurses,  and  kinder- 
gartners  should  strive  to  do ;  the  child  seeks  the  new  which  has  been  de- 
veloped from  the  old  ;  (169)  seeks  for  a  change  ;  the  old  within  the  child 
clarifies,  transmutes,  and  unfolds  itself ;  this  according  to  definite  law ; 


xxvi        PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

what  is  necessary  for  educators ;  how  has  the  child  developed  up  to  this 
point?  (170)  light  in  the  child's  mind  illuminates  the  objects  around  him  ; 
he  observes  development  in  the  things  around  him ;  will  perceive  cau- 
sality ;  recognizes  law  ;  has  been  educated  in  conformity  with  this  law  ;  the 
outer  world  in  its  essence  helps  the  life  of  the  soul ;  (171)  understand  the 
plaything  clearly  before  giving  it  to  the  child  ;  understand  the  purpose  of 
the  plaything  ;  what  the  purpose  is  ;  in  recognizing  the  ball  the  child  moved 
from  the  indefinite  to  the  definite,  etc. ;  the  ball  recognized  as  a  body  ; 
the  child  perceives  himself  a  body  ;  (172)  the  child  has  two  important  terms 
of  comparison  for  his  first  intellectual  development,  body  and  body,  object 
and  object ;  the  kind  of  body  important ;  the  child  feels  himself  as  life ; 
perceives  the  ball  outside  of  himself  in  motion  and  as  motion ;  ball  needed 
for  development ;  second  gift;  sphere  and  cube  illustrate  the  idea  of  a  self- 
opposed  unity  ;  description  of  sphere  ;  what  it  illustrates ;  what  the  cube 
illustrates ;  further  description  of  second  gift ;  cube  divided  into  eight 
parts  shows  the  qualities  of  the  whole  cube  eight  times;  (173)  three  direc- 
tions come  forth  by  means  of  the  divided  cube ;  three  inner  ;  three  surface ; 
further  notice  of  these ;  a  new  gift  demanded  ;  description  of  the  fourth 
gift ;  (174)  each  object  given  must  condition  the  one  that  follows ;  condi- 
tions fulfilled  in  gifts  up  to  this  point ;  another  requirement  of  a  satisfactory 
human  education  given ;  this  requirement  has  been  hitherto  met ;  another 
fundamental  idea  given  ;  the  making  the  external  internal,  etc. ;  (175)  the 
cube  divided  into  eight  building  blocks — the  fourth  gift  of  the  series ;  its 
nature  ;  this  simple  alteration  gives  a  new  significance  to  play  and  play- 
thing ;  the  alteration  described  ;  forms  of  this  gift  incline  toward  surface- 
forms  ;  these  forms  divided  into  forms  of  life,  of  beauty,  of  knowledge ; 
(176)  use  of  play  ;  name  must  be  given  to  what  has  originated  under  the 
hand  of  the  child  ;  talk  with  the  child  about  what  he  knows  ;  habits  of  at- 
tention must  be  formed  ;  (177)  all  representations  connected  with  an  inner 
precise  condition  ;  conditions  given  ;  child  must  use  all  the  material  before 
him ;  what  develops  through  fulfilling  these  conditions ;  description  of 
play  with  cube;  (178)  further  descriptions  of  play  ;  (179)  still  further  de- 
scriptions ;  song  ;  (180)  description  continued  ;  important  for  and  pleasing 
to  the  child  to  see  how  one  object  springs  from  another  and  can  be  turned 
into  another;  isolation  and  seclusion  destroy  life;  union  and  participation 
create  life;  living  objects  represented  by  blocks  ;  (181)  stories  and  talks  to 
be  used ;  observations  of  forms  of  knowledge;  (182)  bench  divided  ;  rela- 
tions of  size  illustrated  by  fourth  gift;  "high  wall"  the  easiest  transition 
to  forms  of  knowledge ;  gift  shows  similarity  of  size,  dissimilarity  of  dimen- 
sion, and  position;  (183)  song  for  halving  cube;  division  may  be  either 
vertical  or  horizontal ;  song  ;  further  divisions  ;  song  ;  further  changes  ; 
(184)  songs ;  new  variation  of  exercises ;  song ;  (185)  fourth  gift  offers 
more  forms  of  knowledge  than  the  third ;  forms  adapted  to  children  of 


ANALYSIS  OF  CONTENTS  BY  THE  TRANSLATOR,   xxvii 

three  or  four  years ;  comprehension  of  the  gift  by  the  mother  gives  the 
play  a  life  impossible  to  describe  by  lifeless  word ;  (186)  the  true  aim  of 
education — to  lead  to  comprehension  of  harmony ;  we  turn  to  the  considera- 
tion of  forms  of  beauty — harmonious  forms ;  value  of  last  name ;  forms  of 
knowledge  the  suitable  transition  to  forms  of  beauty  ;  example ;  (187) 
forms  radiate,  circular ;  description  of  radiate  form ;  illustrated ;  (188) 
pleasant  filling  up  of  time  for  children ;  developing  also ;  another  consid- 
eration ;  comparison  with  forms  of  beauty  of  third  gift  shows  those  of 
fourth  gift  contained  in  those  of  third  as  in  a  germ,  or  bud ;  (189)  vast 
number  of  different  forms  proceed  from  germinal  form ;  three  relations  of 
size  as  abiding  in  fourth  gift  as  the  position  of  the  three  principal  direc- 
tions ;  each  of  the  fourth  gift  forms  of  beauty  may  be  regarded  and  used  as 
a  fundamental  form;  what  follows  this;  illustration;  (190)  all  forms  re- 
late to  the  germinal  form ;  the  influence  of  this  gift  for  the  child  lies  in 
the  visible  connection  of  the  pure  antitheses ;  child  learns  that  law  is  at 
the  foundation  even  of  accident ;  illustration  of  this  law  important ;  how  to 
carry  on  these  representations  of  forms  of  beauty ;  (191)  way  of  carrying  on 
these  representations;  (192)  word  to  accompany  form;  wheel  forms;  two 
points  considered;  (193)  first  the  play  and  the  adult  playmate,  second  the 
relation  of  the  difterent  gifts ;  (194)  third  and  fourth  gifts  complement 
each  other  in  a  striking  manner ;  their  alternate  use  necessary ;  how  the 
child  should  treat  contents  of  box ;  each  child  must  have  his  own  box ; 
(195)  the  play-box  to  be  treated  as  a  companion ;  when  the  child  can  use 
each  gift  separately  he  may  use  them  together. 

XII.  (P.  196)  Second  review  of  play — a  fragment.  Froebel  was  asked 
to  elaborate  his  material ;  to  state  inner  and  outer  connection ;  one  reason 
for  complying  with  this  wish ;  he  tries  to  connect  with  first  review  ;  enters 
more  deeply  into  the  subject ;  Nature  our  example ;  essential  nature  of  ma- 
terial objects ;  study  process  of  natural  development ;  why  ?  how  each 
natural  object  develops;  (197)  threefold  result  of  search  for  ground  of  this; 
find  element  in  the  common  unity  of  the  threefold  process ;  the  three 
forms  in  which  this  element  shows  itself;  pivot  on  which  all  tmns ;  (198) 
condition  of  manifestation  of  completeness  in  Nature ;  what  we  must  do ; 
what  we  can  thus  help  men  to  attain;  what  is  necessary  even  for  the 
wisest ;  through  and  to  what  man  must  rise ;  what  we  observe  in  Nature ; 
man  must  unfold  and  develop  in  unity  with  Nature ;  what  else  he  must 
do  ;  what  we  must  endeavor  to  make  our  children  perceive  and  do ;  Nature 
and  life  interpret  each  other ;  how  force  and  life  manifest  themselves ; 
(199)  how  specific  life  form  and  size  show  themselves ;  size  and  form  im- 
ply number  ;  why  we  gave  the  child  a  ball  for  his  first  plaything  ;  the  ball 
a  symbol  of  the  universal  life;  universal  qualities  of  material  objects 
thrown  into  relief  by  play  with  ball ;  what  the  child  learns  by  such  play  ; 
what  he  recognizes  in  the  structure  of  the  ball ;  what  the  ball  becomes  to 


xxviii      PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 


1 

for  the  * 


the  child  ;  ball  helps  the  child  to  grasp  and  use  objects ;  the  means  for  the 
end  ;  nature  and  relationship  of  contrasts  in  the  ball — how  accentuated ; 
(200)  connect  second  review  with  lirst ;  sphere  and  cube  given  separately  ; 
given  together  to  the  child  ;  latter  way  especially  important ;  cause ;  the 
second  forms  complementary ;  to  what  the  plays  with  the  ball  and  those 
with  the  sphere  lead. 

XIII.  (P.  201)  The  fifth  gift.  The  cube  divided  equally  twice  in  each 
dimension  and  with  obliquely  divided  component  cubes.  Evolution  of  this 
gift  from  the  preceding  gifts  and  from  the  nature  of  the  child  and  his  en- 
vironment ;  from  and  toward  what  the  child's  development  proceeds ;  of 
what  the  child's  plays  and  playthings  are  the  means ;  how  we  have  di- 
rected the  child's  activity  ;  progress  of  gifts  from  ball  to  sphere  ;  (202)  un- 
divided cube,  third  gift,  fourth  gift;  description  of  each;  (203)  description 
concluded  ;  what  this  review  shows ;  fifth  gift  indicated  in  and  demanded 
by  previous  gifts ;  cube  divided  once  in  each  dimension  ;  natural  progress 
from  one  to  two ;  what  this  division  by  threes  yields ;  a  new  feature  added ; 
the  diagonal ;  how  demanded ;  where  and  how  suggested ;  demand  of  new 
gift ;  (204)  oblique  line  the  diagonal  of  a  square  ;  how  produced ;  by  what 
this  division  is  demanded ;  how  shall  cube  be  diagonally  divided  V  how 
many  cubes  shall  be  thus  divided  ?  fundamental  number  in  this  gift ;  three 
whole,  three  halved,  three  quartered  cubes  form  one  third  fifth  gift;  sum- 
ming up  ;  use  of  this  gift ;  it  is  a  symmetrical  whole ;  its  arrangement  in 
box;  (205)  how  to  remove  box  from  cube  ;  advantage  to  the  child  of  this 
way  of  removal;  first  use  of  the  fifth  gift;  (206)  the  representation  of 
forms  of  knowledge ;  the  simplest  obtained  by  division ;  simplest  form  of 
division ;  first  division  of  cube ;  division  and  plane  of  division  of  third 
gift;  threefold  division  repeated  in  fifth  gift;  differences  between  the 
division  of  the  two  gifts  ;  variation  of  arrangement  in  fifth  gift ;  how  per- 
ceptions and  recognitions  are  gained  ;  merit  and  influence  of  this  play  ma- 
terial;  words  added  later;  (207)  rhythmic  speech  produces  clearer. con- 
sciousness ;  dividing  and  recombining  cube  accompanied  by  words ;  effect 
of  rhythmic  form  of  words ;  arrangement  of  the  thirds  of  the  cube ;  different 
position  of  the  thirds  makes  them  seem  different  things  to  the  child ;  (208) 
this  second  division,  etc.,  also  accompanied  by  words ;  law  to  be  observed 
in  all  plays;  illustration;  incitement  to  thought  and  feeling;  (209)  the 
child  likes  to  find  out  how  one  form  comes  from  another;  see  previous  illus- 
tration, page  208 ;  words  given  to  each  form  ;  words  uttered  rhythmically, 
child  pointing  to  forms  at  the  same  time ;  words  may  have  rhythmic  form ; 
(210)  other  rhymes ;  aim  of  all  that  is  done ;  clearness  and  precision  to  be 
given  to  what  the  child  makes ;  return  to  division  of  cube  ;  thirds  divided 
into  ninths  in  three  different  ways  :  ninths  into  twenty-sevenths  ;  parts  of 
fifth  gift  united  into  different  solid  forms,  and  each  of  these  divided  into 
two  or  more  equal  parts  ;  point  of  resemblance  between  these  forms ;  facts 


ANALYSIS  OF  CONTENTS  BY  THE  TRANSLATOR,  xxix 

apparent  when  forms  are  made  ;  (211)  rhymed  questions  and  suggestions ; 
change  of  one  form  important ;  how  the  forms  advance ;  separation,  divi- 
sion, recombination :  (212)  result;  reference  to  plate;  bodies  resolved  into 
their  different  parts ;  number  of  square  prisms  to  be  made  at  the  same  time 
by  the  fifth  gift;  all  equal;  all  unequal;  equal  and  unequal;  same  thing 
done  with  other  forms ;  point  of  prime  importance ;  illustration ;  illustra- 
tion concluded ;  (213)  reasons  for  detail ;  (214)  first  combination  of  square 
prisms ;  resulting  structure ;  relative  size  of  square  tablets  in  structure ; 
perceptions  gained  are  precisely  expressed  in  geometry ;  with  this  gift  it  is 
merely  play;  words  and  observation  connected;  (215)  make  relative  sizes 
clear  to  the  child ;  second,  combination — three  square  prisms  inclosing 
hollow,  right-angled  triangles ;  third,  square  prism  contains  as  many  cubes 
as  both  the  others ;  illustration ;  rhymed  description  ;  description  for  each 
stage  of  representation ;  (216)  make  word,  act,  and  subject  explain  each 
other;  interest  of  finding  and  combining  forms  ;  now  come  figures  unlike 
in  form  but  with  equal  contents ;  illustration — first  series ;  (217)  second 
series ;  third  series ;  facts  brought  out  by  observing  these  series ;  (218)  facts 
concluded ;  facts  shown  in  third  series,  also  shown  by  third  gift ;  repetition 
profitable  to  the  child ;  (219)  translation  to  forms  of  beauty  and  forms  of  life 
very  simple  ;  children  begin  with  forms  of  life ;  all  the  blocks  to  be  used ; 
those  not  used  in  the  main  part  must  bear  some  relation  to  it ;  why  we  be- 
gin with  forms  of  life ;  child  advances  from  use  to  beauty,  from  beauty  to 
truth ;  object  of  giving  forms  of  knowledge  first  in  presenting  this  gift : 
leader's  knowledge  of  gift  increases  the  pleasure  and  profit  of  play  with  it ; 
(220)  forms  of  life  proceed  from  the  cube  as  a  whole;  advantage  of  this; 
box  packed  in  same  order  and  removed  from  cube  in  same  way  as  before ; 
cube  called  a  table,  house,  or  other  object ;  directions  for  series  beginning 
with  armchair  ;  for  series  beginning  with  large  table ;  renaming  of  forms 
which  the  child  has  made  with  fifth  gift;  (221)  rhyme  for  the  renaming; 
proceeding  from  cube  make  three  trunks ;  children  like  to  make  houses ; 
why  ?  why  houses  with  doors  and  windows  are  preferred ;  child's  use  of 
blocks  shows  his  increased  acquaintance  with  things  beyond  his  home ; 
mention  of  some  of  these  forms  which  can  be  made  with  this  gift ;  list  con- 
cluded ;  (222)  intimate  connection  of  Froebel's  gifts  with  the  chrld's  de- 
velopment ;  their  effect  on  him ;  connection  of  the  child's  representations 
and  experiences;  his  representations  a  means  of  correcting  his  percep- 
tions ;  buildlLig  gifts  extend  perceptions ;  examples ;  stories  joined  with  the 
child's  representations ;  advantage  ;  building  in  common ;  (223)  directions 
for  building  with  fifth  gift  a  large  house  and  two  small  ones ;  song  ex- 
presses the  child's  pleasure  and  describes  what  he  has  made ;  (224)  song 
ended ;  naming  different  parts  of  the  house ;  art-building  from  which  forms 
of  beauty  proceed ;  these  forms  also  come  from  certain  forms  of  life  and 
architecture ;  forms  of  beauty  develop  one  from  another ;  each  a  change 


XXX         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

from  the  former ;  no  form  entirely  destroyed ;  another  essential ;  (225) 
these  points  were  discussed  before ;  second  way  of  proceeding  to  forms  of 
beauty ;  fact  to  be  considered  before  adopting  the  second  way ;  how  forms 
of  beauty  of  the  fifth  gift  differ  from  those  of  third  and  fourth ;  surest  foun- 
dation of  both  series;  foundation  the  of  first;  (226)  of  second;  the  square 
the  fundamental  form  of  first  series ;  in  what  the  beauty  and  influence  of 
these  plays  consist ;  second  point  of  importance;  advantage  of  this  man- 
ner of  carrying  out  the  play  :  how  the  trustful  relationship  between  mother 
and  child,  etc.,  is  kept  intact;  (227)  the  child  begins  changes  inside  square 
or  outside  triangles ;  in  these  again  he  may  begin  with  the  inner  or  outer 
blocks  of  form  chosen ;  a  further  choice ;  limitation  implied  in  so  much 
change ;  what  the  child  must  do  if  the  series  of  development  is  broken 
off";  proceed  from  fundamental  form;  form  admits  of  variety;  unfolding 
from  the  middle  on  all  sides;  directions;  (228)  directions  continued; 
change  of  position  of  cubes,  though  the  appearance  remains  the  same ;  this 
fact  generalized  of  great  importance ;  a  law  of  Nature  and  of  life ;  frequent 
reference  made  to  it ;  other  laws  dealt  with  in  same  way ;  example ;  direc- 
tions continued ;  concluded ;  (229)  final  form  kept  in  mind  ;  three  final 
forms ;  each  admits  of  a  double  manner  of  representation  ;  remark  in  re- 
spect to  forms  of  beauty  in  both  series;  illustration;  (230)  illustration 
concluded ;  remaining  fact  to  be  brought  out ;  triangular  forms  of  beauty  ; 
the  starting  point;  condition  of  advancement;  (231)  change  made  by 
moving  the  cubes  toward  inside  or  outside;  result;  why  this  change 
pleases ;  a  cube  on  each  side  is  set  free  for  play ;  the  different  positions 
it  may  take ;  the  six  different  forms  a  logical  whole ;  other  positions  for 
the  three  free  cubes;  (232)  law  of  connection  pointed  out  even  in  third 
gift ;  alterations  possible  with  three  free  cubes  by  no  means  exhausted ; 
alterations  possible  if  one  or  more  of  the  eight  cubes  be  halved ;  prin- 
cipal alteration;  changes  possible  in  first  case;  in  second  case;  (233)  one 
hundred  representations  possible  if  the  three  cubes  are  halved ;  if  one 
of  the  half-cubes  be  halved ;  each  free  cube  changed  to  one  half  and  two 
fourths ;  about  three  hundred  combinations  made  possible  by  this  change ; 
the  three  cubes  changed  each  into  four  fourths  allow  of  at  least  five  hun- 
dred representations ;  thus  nearly  one  thousand  possible  with  but  three 
free  cubes :  necessity  for  classifying  representations ;  unclassified  ones  op- 
press by  their  magnitude  ;  want  of  classification  the  bane  of  children's 
plays  ;  (234)  plays  lose  their  formative  influence  by  this  lack ;  limitation 
excludes  many  forms,  prevents  kindergartner  and  children  from  losing 
their  way  among  the  forms,  enables  guide  (if  a  true  guide)  to  know  where 
they  are ;  thus  these  plays  are  not  wearying  but  improving  on  account  of 
the  educator's  knowledge ;  next  series ;  two  cubes  on  each  side  set  free  for 
play ;  changes  possible  in  these  six  cubes ;  (235)  movement  of  the  cubes 
of  the  inclosure ;  moving  them  in  and  out ;  the  smaller  the  inclosure  the 


ANALYSIS  OF  CONTENTS  BY  THE  TRANSLATOR,  xxxi 

richer  the  structure  of  the  representations ;  tend  toward  curved  form ;  pro- 
gress to  two  and  two-sided  forms ;  conclude  with  circle ;  representation  of 
cog  wheels ;  intrenchments,  sconces,  and  redoubts ;  previously  mentioned ; 
(236)  spirit  of  unity  in  forms  of  fifth  gift ;  use  for  diagrams ;  for  whom 
originally  intended ;  their  object ;  when  given  to  the  children ;  purposes 
served  by  this. 

XIV.  (P.  237)  Movement  plays.  Some  relation  expressed  in  every  ac- 
tivity of  the  child  ;  material  is  required  to  realize  aims ;  kindergarten  gifts 
lead  child  to  the  handling  of  material ;  each  incites  to  free  self-activity ; 
movement  plays  developing  from  gifts  not  yet  considered  ;  omission  inten- 
tional ;  we  now  attend  to  movement  plays;  (238)  why  explanation  of  sixth 
gift  is  postponed ;  we  must  meet  needs  of  inner  development,  not  only  re- 
spond to  outward  manifestations;  final  ground  of  child's  outer  activity; 
deepest  craving  of  his  inner  life ;  what  child  learns  through  the  reflection 
of  such  life ;  why  such  reflection  is  essential ;  law  of  development ;  its 
recognition  the  aim  of  Froebel's  gifts  and  games ;  (239)  external  phenomena 
in  child's  life  to  be  studied ;  children  our  guides ;  cause  of  child's  joyous 
movement  when  seeing  a  moving  object ;  the  child  seeks  cause  for  move- 
ment of  the  object ;  the  educator's  procedure  should  be  similar;  the  child's 
own  nature  the  main  consideration  in  his  education ;  external  phenomena 
sometimes  a  guide-post,  never  a  path ;  condition  of  child-education ;  no 
other  education  worthy  the  nature  of  man  ;  (240)  we  now  consider  starting 
and  course  of  development  of  movement  plays;  child's  unconscious  en- 
deavor ;  he  tries  to  do  what  he  sees  done ;  ball  set  in  motion ;  song  showing 
what  ball  can  do;  (241)  ball's  activities  the  germ  of  movement  plays;  the 
child  wishes  to  move  like  ball ;  reason  the  child  likes  independent  move- 
ment ;  threefold  feeling  caused  by  walking ;  what  we  must  do,  and  why ; 
the  three  elements  of  the  child's  pleasure  in  his  first  walking  should  all  be 
fostered  at  the  same  time;  the  child  should  use  his  power  and  get  his 
whole  body  into  his  power;  (242)  what  else  he  should  learn;  illustration 
of  child's  threefold  purpose  ;  source  of  child's  efibrt  to  reach  some  particu- 
lar object ;  well  to  name  object  and  its  parts  and  properties  ;  object  of  this 
naming ;  development  of  speech  by  child's  experiences ;  (243)  how  we  must 
help  the  child  to  these  experiences ;  each  new  phenomenon  a  discovery ; 
child-nurture  ceases  to  be  a  task  ;  motives  for  becoming  a  nurse ;  the  child 
likes  to  go  from  place  to  place ;  what  he  seeks  by  change  of  place ;  each 
walk  a  tour  of  discovery,  each  object  a  new  world;  apparent  digression; 
(244)  return  to  first  movement-play,  "  child  wants  to  go  on  a  journey  " ;  A, 
traveling  plays;  object  and  character  of  these  plays;  1,  the  child  wants  to 
travel ;  motion  of  ball  in  ball  play  makes  the  child  want  to  move;  direc- 
tions for  play;  Froebel's  experience;  (245)  further  description  of  play ;  ex- 
tension of  play ;  children  take  turns ;  further  extension  of  play ;  (246)  the 
child  names  children  in  circle  ;  advantage  of  this ;  another  addition ;  why 


xxxii       PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

it  is  beneficial ;  manner  of  naming  children  varies  with  the  age  of  the  child 
who  names ;  progressive  development  of  game  corresponds  with  intellectual 
and  physical  development  of  children;  (247)  children  may  form  square  in- 
stead of  circle  ;  each  new  play  develops  from  the  preceding  ones ;  next  de- 
velopment of  walking  game ;  the  walking  of  all  the  children  at  the  same 
time ;  this  unfolded  naturally  in  playroom ;  2,  general  traveling  game ; 
directions  for  game;  (248)  song  for  game;  game  actually  developed  as 
described ;  description  continued ;  ('249)  song  continued ;  (250)  another  song 
may  be  used ;  children  do  what  song  suggests ;  3,  walking  plays  of  many 
children  in  small  space ;  game  enjoyed  by  children  in  Froebel's  kinder- 
garten; (251)  4,  visiting  plays,  or  going  to  make  calls,  develops  from  the 
walking:  description  of  play;  (252)  description  continued;  (253)  descrip- 
tion concluded  ;  sources  of  children's  delight  in  this  game  ;  5,  the  winding 
brook ;  one  of  the  first  movement  plays  developed  by  the  children  in  Froe- 
bel's  kindergarten  gave  them  much  pleasure ;  description  and  song  for  play ; 
(254)  song  concluded,  also  description ;  B,  brook  play,  a  transition  from 
journeying  games  to  those  representing  an  object ;  1,  the  snail ;  a  favorite 
play  in  Froebel's  kindergarten,  where  it  is  originated ;  sometimes  played  as 
continuation  of  brook  play  ;  description  of  snail  play ;  (255)  description  con- 
tinued ;  snail  song ;  description  and  song  continued ;  (256)  description  and 
song  concluded ;  snail  game  often  ends  circle  plays ;  why  well  suited  to 
this  purpose ;  how  snail  play  originated;  object  of  these  plays;  representa- 
tion plays  proceeding  from  life  and  needs  of  very  little  children ;  children 
like  to  clasp  hands  and  run  round  a  tree  or  column ;  (257)  this  desire  the 
origin  in  Froebel's  kindergarten  of  2,  mill  play ;  description  of  play  ;  (258) 
description  continued  ;  song ;  figure  made  by  children  represents  wheel  of 
water  mill ;  child  led  to  perceive  and  compare  moving  power  in  himself 
and  the  water ;  the  whole  may  be  wings  of  windmill ;  song ;  why  liked  by 
children;  comparison  of  power  of  Nature  and  of  the  mind;  (259)  lines 
added  to  song ;  close  of  play  leads  child's  attention  to  effect  of  too  vigorous 
movement ;  game  played  without  a  pillar — in  the  open  air ;  way  of  play- 
ing in  each  case ;  movement  made  in  opposite  direction ;  play  came 
from  girl-life  ;  another  play  from  boy -life ;  3,  the  wheel ;  directions ; 
(260)  directions  concluded;  song  for  play;  play  called  star  game;  to 
what  child  is  led  by  these  plays;  ground  of  child's  pleasure  in  these 
plays;  (261)  delight  of  children  in  movement  plays  not  caused  by 
mere  bodily  activity ;  true  source  of  their  joy ;  we  must  thoughtfully 
observe  children's  plays  ;  good  efl'ects  of  such  observation  ;  Froebel's  ob- 
ject in  showing  how  plays  started  and  developed  in  his  own  kindergarten; 
what  becomes  apparent  by  generalizing  results  of  his  experience  ;  (262)  4, 
circle,  star,  flower,  and  crown  play  belongs  to  representing  circular  mpve- 
ment  plays ;  directions  and  song  for  play  ;  (263)  directions  and  song  con- 
tinued ;  (264)  both  concluded ;  each  of  these  four  plays  may  be  used  as  a 


ANALYSIS  OF  CONTENTS  BY  THE  TRANSLATOR,   xxxiii 

single  play  for  very  small  children;  (265)  nature  and  spirit  of  this  play; 
C,  the  running  plays  develop  from  preceding  ones  ;  running  plays  the 
first  of  completely  developed  power  of  motion  ;  to  what,  and  how,  play  with 
ball  incites  child  ;  1,  racing  game,  a  great  favorite  with  children ;  where 
played ;  racing  ground  described ;  directions  for  play  ;  (266)  song  for  play  ; 
directions  concluded ;  other  running  plays — when  mentioned ;  D,  the 
pure  running  games  ;  take  into  account  position  of  body  and  movement 
of  limbs;  name  more  appropriate  than  marching;  1,  the  simple  walking 
game ;  how  done ;  arrangement  of  children ;  (267)  directions  and  song  for 
play  ;  song  for  changing  room  and  play  ;  change  in  play  accompanied  by 
singing  rhyme;  why?  (268)  wordless  melodies  with  walking  plays;  to 
what  adapted  ;  2,  circular  walking  game  ;  more  difficult  to  walk  round 
circle  than  straight  forward ;  latter  movement  used  first  and  oftenest;  cir- 
cular movement  especially  attracts  small  children ;  how  to  combine  the 
two  forms  of  play  ;  song ;  real  circling  games ;  song  to  direct  attention  to 
circle;  to  position  of  feet;  (269)  freely  moving  ball  the  incitement  to 
movement  plays  hitherto  given  ;  ball  on  string  incites  to  another  series ; 
illustration  ;  origin  and  aim  of  this  series;  (270)  movement  plays  proceed- 
ing from  the  ball  on  the  string,  which  have  in  view  at  the  same  time  an 
exact  training  of  the  body  and  limbs  ;  A,  swinging  movement  plays  ;  di- 
rections and  song ;  waving  movement,  like  that  of  grain  moved  by  wind ; 
leader  sees  to  the  good  order  of  circle;  each  member  should  have  chance 
to  lead;  why?  (271)  important  to  foster  child's  delight  in  play;  another 
movement  introduced  ;  directions  and  song  continued ;  harmony  of  action 
important ;  harmony  of  word  and  movement  necessary ;  (272)  directions 
and  song  continued;  (273)  words  sung  as  interpretation  of  movement; 
why  ?  resting  play  to  follow  very  active  games  ;  circling  movement  of  ball 
on  string  gives  rise  to  series  of  (B),  circling  and  turning  movement  plays 
proceeding  from  the  ball;  directions  and  song  for  play  continued  ;  (274) 
swinging  arms  in  circle  used  as  windmill  play  ;  (275)  directions  and  song 
for  this  play  ;  developing  influence ;  final  form  can  be  used  as  conclusion 
of  series;  ball  swings  in  horizontal  circle  ;  (276)  song;  child  perceives  that 
one  side  of  ball  swung  in  circle  looks  toward  middle  ;  rhyme ;  this  indica- 
tion points  to  a  new  series  of  movement  plays  ;  directions  and  songs  ;  care 
taken  that  circle  is  perfect ;  why  ?  (277)  directions  and  song  for  play  of 
finding  middle  of  circle ;  where  originated  ;  Langethal's  development  of 
play  ;  song  he  made  for  it ;  child  in  middle  keeps  order  in  the  circle ; 
(278)  effect  of  center  and  circumference  on  each  other  ;  "  Child,  turn  thee  " 
developed  from  those  plays  just  described ;  arrangement  of  children  ;  par- 
ticular and  general  brought  together  in  this  play  ;  demand  of  the  spirit 
and  character  of  Froebel's  plays;  fidelity  to  higher  spirit  of  play  needed 
for  its  full  effect;  directions  continued  ;  (279)  spinning  movement  hard 
for  small  children  ;  (280)  what  leader  may  do ;  directions  concluded ;  re- 
3 

% 


xxxiv     PEDAGOGICS  OP  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

ciprocal  activity  of  individual  and  whole  ;  close  of  this  series  ;  particular, 
individual,  and  general  shown  in  play  are  recognized  by  child  in  Nature 
and  life ;  important  experience  for  child ;  manner  of  evolution ;  one  chief 
aim  of  early  education  ;  (281)  such  experience  offered  to  children  in  cir- 
cling movement  plays  ;  illustrated  by  play  of  "  seeing  each  other  and  not 
seeing  each  other  "  ;  directions  and  song  for  play;  continued  ;  (282)  com- 
parison essential ;  play  that  affords  comparison  has  a  developing  influence ; 
comparison  employed  in  Froebel's  games  ;  second  way  of  playing  thia 
game  ;  (283)  directions  and  song  for  this  second  way  of  playing  concluded-, 
(284)  end  of  movement  plays  proceeding  from  ball,  and  of  indications  of 
their  significance  for  the  threefold  life  of  child  and  man  ;  (285)  movement 
plays  further  progress  from  sphere. 

XV,  (P.  286)  How  Lina  learned  to  write  and  read.  Lina's  age ;  what 
Lina  could  do;  (287)  Lina  always  contented  and  cheerful;  Lina  per- 
mitted to  be  much  with  her  parents ;  father  receives  a  letter ;  desire  to 
write  a  letter  aroused  ;  mother  proposes  to  make  letters  with  sticks ;  in- 
struction as  to  letter-writing;  first  learns  sounds  in  name;  (288)  learns 
signs  for  these  sounds  ;  exercise  in  both ;  (289)  same  continued ;  mother 
and  child  take  part  alternately ;  learns  A ;  (290)  exercise  continued ; 
learns  I ;  learns  L 1 ;  then  N  A  ;  then  both  together  are  made  and  sounded  ; 
(291)  letters  left  for  father  to  read ;  father  reads  Lina's  name ;  father's  and 
uncle's  questions  as  to  letters  and  signs;  pleasure  resulting  to  all:  (292) 
uncle's  suggests  that  Lina  lay  and  read  "  mutter  "  the  next  day ;  Lina  begs 
her  mother  to  teach  her  the  word  "  mutteb  " ;  mother  proposes  to  her  to 
learn  "vateb";  Lina  agrees;  exercise  of  close  and  open  sounds;  (293) 
exercise  continues  ;  Lina  learns  E ;  then  V  T  K ;  the  close  sounds ;  Lina 
asks  to  learn  "  mutter  " ;  mother  consents ;  (294)  child  required  to  speak 
the  word  clearly  and  distinctly ;  a  new  open  sound  u ;  a  new  close  sound 
m  ;  child  lays  and  pronounces  "  vater,"  "  mutter  " ;  pleasure  in  showing 
words  to  father  and  uncle  ;  Lina  examined ;  (295)  father  adds  the  word 
LIEB;  asks  Lina  to  read  it;  she  knows  three  of  the  sounds;  does  not 
know  what  the  "  bow  "  means ;  mother  explains  ;  exercise  with  the  word ; 
Lina  very  grateful ;  uncle  asks  Lina  to  lay  these  words  the  next  day ; 

(296)  Lina's  first  care  the  next  day  to  do  what  her  uncle  asked  ;  helped  by 
her  mother,  she  lays  the  German  words  for  "  my  dear  uncle,"  "  my  dear 
father,"  ''  my  dear  mother " ;  uncle  adds  in  German,  "  Lina  is  our  dear 
child  " ;  the  three  unfamiliar  sounds  soon  learned  with  the  mother's  help ; 

(297)  at  Lina's  request  the  mother  helped  her  to  lay  in  German,  "  You  are 
our  good  father " ;  one  new  sign,  G ;  father  much  pleased ;  Lina  learns 
names  of  relations,  etc. ;  the  father  goes  on  a  journey ;  Lina  longs  to  write 
him  a  letter  ;  begs  her  mother  to  help  her ;  (298)  a  slate  and  slate  pencil  pro- 
vided ;  Lina  pleased  with  the  straight  lines  and  squares ;  disappointed  not 
to  find  pen  and  paper ;  mother  consoles  her  ;  (299)  taught  to  handle  slate 


ANALYSIS  OF  CONTENTS  BY  THE  TRANSLATOR,  xxxv 

pencil;  lays  her  name  with  sticks;  mother  shows  her  how  to  indicate 
the  length  of  one  of  the  sticks  by  a  straight  mark  two  squares  long  ; 
helped  by  her,  Lina  writes  her  name  on  the  slate ;  Lina  asks  to  write  a 
letter  to  her  father  on  the  slate;  mother  consents ;  (300)  mother  helps 
with  letter;  process  described;  (301)  uncle  comes  in;  is  delighted  with 
letter ;  fears  the  slate  will  cost  a  good  deal  of  postage ;  fears  it  will  be 
broken ;  Lina  tells  him  sadly  that  this  is  only  a  trial ;  mother  promises  Lina 
some  cross-lined  paper  and  a  lead  pencil  from  the  city  to-morrow  :  uncle 
laughs,  and  lays  before  the  child  a  sheet  of  paper  with  cross-lines  and  a 
colored  pencil ;  Lina  surprised  and  delighted  ;  (302)  the  next  day  copied 
her  letter  on  the  paper  her  uncle  had  brought  to  her ;  letter  sent  to  father  ; 
Lina  asks  if  her  father  will  write  to  her  in  reply  ;  mother  bids  her  wait ; 
letter  arrives ;  (303)  the  little  girl  joyful  and  grateful ;  finds  she  can  read 
her  father's  letter;  reads  it  to  her  mother;  (304)  sorry  to  have  her  father 
away  so  long ;  mother  proposes  to  her  to  write  another  letter  to  him  ;  (305) 
takes  great  pains  that  her  father  may  find  an  improvement  in  the  letter ; 
regular  correspondence  with  father ;  joy  the  great  propeller ;  mother  and 
uncle  know  this  and  act  accordingly  ;  (306)  what  greater  delight  to  a  child 
than  to  have  a  book  of  its  own  ;  father  sends  book  to  Lina  ;  (307)  shows  it 
to  uncle  ;  looks  at  pictures  in  book  ;  wishes  to  read  it ;  makes  out  some  of 
the  letters  ;  (308)  mother  leaves  her  with  the  book;  at  last  comes  to  her ; 
encourages  her  as  to  learning  all  the  letters;  notice  of  lines;  (309)  child 
points  out  the  letters  she  already  knows ;  too  dark  for  further  work  ; 
mother  tells  a  story  of  people  who  lived  long  ago  and  could  not  write ; 
what  is  writing  and  being  able  to  write  ;  (310)  writing  is  the  joining  of  the 
transient  sound  with  the  permanent  sign  ;  experience  helps  understanding  ; 
mother  tells  of  a  shepherd  ;  what  shepherds  discovered;  (311)  a  shepherd 
who  found  out  how  to  write  with  letters  ;  the  way  it  was  done  ;  (312)  con- 
tinuation of  the  way  of  doing  it;  shepherds  to  be  regarded  with  respect; 
(313)  always  employ  time  well  when  alone ;  mother  tells  Lina  to  get  the 
light,  and  she  will  teach  her  what  she  needs  for  understanding  her  book  ; 
takes  the  father's  letters  as  a  help ;  tells  Lina  to  take  I,  (314)  and  com- 
pare with  3  (German);  finds  diflering  lines;  finds  likeness  and  difference 
in  the  two  letters  ;  compares  the  two  Fs ;  (315)  repetition  of  comparison  ; 
likeness  found  between  the  two  Bs;  between  the  Ks  and  Ks ;  (316) 
enough  for  to-day  ;  promise  for  the  morrow  ;  Lina  to  examine  letters  by 
herself;  first  thought  in  the  morning;  Lina  brought  up  in  all-sided  life- 
union  ;  led  quietly  to  pray  for  all  good  things ;  each  day  a  valuable  gift ; 
(317)  examines  the  large  letters  in  her  book ;  finds  the  letters  her  father 
had  used;  runs  to  show  them  to  her  mother;  mother  promises  to  come 
soon  ;  wishes  for  uncle  also;  shows  him  when  he  comes  all  she  has  found  ; 
uncle  delighted  ;  lets  her  find  the  same  letters  on  other  pages ;  Lina's 
mother  comes  in ;  (318)  shares  in  the  pleasure  ;  all  three  perceive  a  simple 


m 


xxxvi      PEDAGOGICS  OF   THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

comprehensive  law ;  what  that  law  is ;  Lina  grieves  because  she  can  not 
read  the  small  letters;  begs  to  be  taught;  (319)  mother  encourages  her; 
what  Lina  had  found  out  with  regard  to  learning;  mother  asks  about  the 
first  letter  that  Lina  learned  ;  (320)  the  German  3  sprouts  from  the  I  as 
the  curled-up,  unopened  leaf  from  the  germ  ;  so  it  is  with  many  things ;  so 
with  our  large  printing  letters  (German) ;  Lina  finds  small  letter  most  re- 
sembling the  large  3  ;  compares  ;  (321)  finds  which  among  the  small  letters 
is  like  the  large  F;  compares  ;  compares  D  ;  places  German  3),  D  and  small 
d  side  by  side ;  examines  ;  (322)  Lina  asks  to  go  to  kindergarten  ;  takes 
Minna  ;  former  playmates  delighted  to  see  her  ;  is  asked  what  she  does  at 
home ;  kindergiirtner  allows  questions  and  answers  ;  Lina  tells  of  her 
book ;  (323)  Lina  tells  how  her  mother  taught  her  to  lay  her  name  with 
sticks ;  children  beg  to  be  shown  the  way  ;  kindergartner  approves ; 
Lina  lays  her  name;  Minna's  also;  children  wish  to  learn;  Lina  tells  them 
what  they  must  do  ;  (324)  tells  them  their  dear  gardener  will  help  them  ; 
they  detain  Lina  for  a  play  ;  good-by  ;  (325)  kindergartener's  lesson  to 
her  children ;  Lina's  visit  productive  of  good  ;  desire  of  the  children  to 
learn  comes  naturally  ;  first  thing  Lina  did  on  reaching  home  ;  (326)  seeks 
book  early  in  the  morning  to  compare  letters ;  hopes  for  her  mother's  help  ; 
knows  twelve  small  letters;  (327)  Lina  shows  her  uncle  what  she  has 
found;  asks  her  mother  if  she  is  right;  asks  her  uncle  to  tell  her  what 
signs  mean,  and  how  they  are  spoken  ;  uncle  agrees ;  mother  approves ; 
(328)  uncle  tells  her  to  bring  slate  and  pencil ;  uncle  draws  the  letters  for 
comparison  side  by  side,  then  one  within  the  other;  in  this  way  the  child 
can  see  the  differences,  also  the  essential  and  abiding  ;  uncle  shows  com- 
pound letters;  and  change  of  form  in  letter  S;  then  shows  the  double  S  ; 
then  the  St ;  open  sound  ;  (329)  Lina  knows  St  and  S  ;  uncle  teaches  her 
the  double  sign  ch  and  the  sound ;  then  sch  ;  asks  her  to  analyze  it ;  (330) 
Lina  sounds  sch;  explains  j  ;  shows  the  two  sounds  of  j  ;  compares  with 
g;  (331)  Lina  thanks  uncle  for  help  and  for  drawing  so  nicely;  uncle 
points  out  the  value  of  drawing;  bids  Lina  go  over  carefully  all  she  has 
learned,  as  the  mother  is  to  examine  them ;  uncle  goes  ;  Lina  obeys  him  1 
gives  uncle's  message  to  her  mother ;  asks  if  she  may  have  Minna  to  play 
with  her;  (332)  is  permitted  to  go;  tells  Minna  they  will  play  kindergar- 
ten with  dolls ;  must  leave  what  dolls  do  for  mother  to  see  ;  (333)  tells 
what  dolls  have  done  ;  mother  happy  as  well  as  the  child,  but  from  other 
causes ;  why  she  is  happy ;  bids  Lina  to  tell  dolls  to  put  things  in  their 
places  before  they  go;  tells  Lina  to  thank  Minna  for  coming,  and  take  her 
home;  then  come  back  and  show  what  her  uncle  had  taught  her;  Lina 
shows  first  the  relation  and  development  of  the  form  of  A,  E,  G,  Q,  T,  C  ; 
makes  them  on  the  slate;  doing  this  makes  many  things  clearer  to  her; 
(334)  mother  calls  to  her  notice  this  and  that  thing  either  forgotten  or 
overlooked  by  her  uncle ;  Lina  also  pronounces  j  and  s,  and  the  compounds 


ANALYSIS  OF  CONTENTS  BY  THE  TRANSLATOR,  xxxvii 

of  the  latter  letter ;  Lina  calls  her  mother's  attention  to  her  uncle's  nice 
drawing ;  mother  tells  the  uses  of  drawing ;  calls  attention  to  living  Na- 
ture ;  representative  drawing  and  explanatory  word ;  one  explains  the 
other;  pleasure  expressed  by  Lina  in  her  book;  can  read  a  great  many 
words  in  it ;  mother  eager  to  hear ;  (335)  Lina  reads  the  words  she  knows  ; 
can  read  a  whole  line  ;  mother  praises  her  ;  tells  her  what  to  do  if  she  can 
not  at  once  read  a  word  ;  goes  to  other  work ;  Lina  reads  the  first  story  in 
the  book  to  herself;  then  to  her  mother  and  uncle,  to  their  great  deliglit ; 
mother  makes  her  notice  the  meaning  of  the  punctuation  marks  ;  (330) 
uncle  notices  the  bulky  sheet ;  Lina  wishes  she  could  write  small,  like  her 
mother ;  asks  to  be  taught ;  mother  says  she  can  not  spare  the  time';  tella 
her  she  will  learn  it  at  the  preparatory  school,  to  which  she  is  to  go  when 
her  father  returns  ;  Lina  satisfied. 


PEDAGOGICS 
OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 


THE   TWO   VIEWS — A    NEW-YEAR  S   MEDITATION. 

At  the  conclusion  of  an  old  and  the  beginning  of  a 
new  year,  even  as  his  eyes  turn  toward  the  coming  year, 
man  appears  almost  involuntarily  to  look  back  on  the  fast 
departing  time  of  his  life,  on  the  year  so  soon  to  end ;  for 
beams,  like  those  of  the  parting  sun,  once  more  illumine 
all  objects  in  the  past  year  with  their  light  and  attract 
the  gaze  of  man.  He  stands  there  thoughtfully,  his  soul 
absorbed  in  the  farewell  to  the  old  and  the  greeting  to 
the  new  year.  He  looks  back  upon  all  which,  in  the  year 
now  vanishing,  he  has  done  or  neglected ;  for  which  he 
has  striven,  or  which  he  has  lost ;  in  which  he  has  been 
successful  or  unsuccessful ;  which  have  been  his  helps  or 
his  hindrances.  He  examines  what  has  been  attained, 
and  what  has  been  denied  to  his  efforts,  his  wishes.  He 
inquires  as  to  the  effects  of  what  has  been  done,  and 
the  consequences  of  what  has  been  neglected.  He  com- 
pares the  form  of  what  has  been  achieved  with  the  spirit 
of  what  was  desired,  and  seeks  for  the  reason  why  much 
that  appeared  within  his  reach  is  yet  not  attained.     The 


2       ,       PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

earlier  efforts  and  desires,  as  far  as  they  have  been  justi- 
fied thrdughi  the  eld  yeai-,  animate  him  now  with  greater 
clearness ;  and  as  he  finds  in  himself  new  germs  of  action 
and  of  new  deeds,  so,  gazing  into  the  coming  year,  his 
mind  and  heart  are  filled  with  new  efforts,  new  hopes,  and 
new  strength.  He  searches  for  the  ways  and  means  by 
which  they  may  be  most  surely  and  quickly  attained,  and, 
viewing  the  subject  on  all  sides,  he  finally  settles  upon  one 
thought  as  the  essence  of  all,  as  the  foundation  of  the  cor- 
rect or  incorrect  comprehension  and  treatment  of  what  life 
in  its  totality  gives  ;  this  thought  is  that  which  the  educa- 
tion of  man  for  life  gave  or  did  not  give,  offers  and  still 
withholds;  on  that  which,  above  all,  the  domestic,  the 
family  education,  the  first  education,  the  education  of  life, 
gives  or  does  not  give  to  man.  Through  a  glance  into 
the  innermost  heart  of  man,  into  his  individual  life,  and 
at  that  which  education  gave  or  denied  him,  all  resolves 
itself  into  the  mute  but  vivid  feeling,  into  the  quiet  but 
clear  thought :  would  there  might  be  for  the  human  being, 
for  my  child,  even  from  its  first  advent  on  this  globe,  a 
correct  comprehension  of  its  beiug,  a  suitable  fostering 
and  management,  the  education  truly  leading  to  the  all- 
sided  attainment  of  its  destiny — in  short,  a  correct  com- 
prehension and  treatment  of  that  which  is  called  life ! 

But  what  man  desires,  as  deeply  grounded  in  his  na- 
ture, and  for  which  he  longs  as  corresponding  with  these 
demands,  he  will  self- actively  enter  upon  efforts  to  ob- 
tain ;  only  he  soon  feels,  anticipates,  and  recognizes  that, 
as  a  human  being,  he  does  not  and  is  not  to  stand  alone ; 
he  is,  as  a  human  being,  a  member  not  only  of  his  fami- 
ly, his  community,  his  country,  the  whole  race  of  man- 
kind now  existing,  but  of  all  humanity.  He  is  and  makes 
a  whole  with  all ;  all  make  and  are  a  whole  with  him  ;  and 


THE  TWO  VIEWS.  3 

only  as  a  member  of  the  whole  he  will  and  can  attain  in 
freer,  more  spiritual  union  with  this  whole  that  which  he, 
as  a  human  being,  perceives  and  strives  to  attain.  Alone 
he  can  do  but  little,  and  therefore  a  unifying  thought  fills 
his  mind,  a  feeling  of  unity  his  soul.  Would  that  several, 
many — yes,  all,  or,  at  least,  would  that  those  nearest  to  me 
— ^would  unite  with  me  in  working  for  all,  as  for  each  indi- 
vidual !  And  so,  especially  to-day,  while  gazing  back  upon 
the  old  and  forward  to  the  new  year,  there  bursts  forth 
from  man's  breast,  as  the  all-embracing  and  all-  compre- 
hending thought,  the  all-embracing  and  all-comprehend- 
ing feeling,  this  appeal  to  all  who  think  and  feel  with 
him: 

"  Come,  let  us  live  with  our  children  ! " 

This  appeal,  uniting  and  comprising  all,  also  expresses 
all  our  feelings,  all  our  thoughts  to-day,  at  the  conclusion 
of  the  old  and  the  beginning  of  the  new  year..  We  in- 
deed anticipate,  hope,  and  believe  that  it  is  the  more  or 
less  clear  feeling,  the  uttered  or  silent  thought  of  many — 
of  all,  indeed,  who  lead  considerate  and  thoughtful  lives. 
Therefore,  even  to-day  in  the  old  year,  the  determination 
to  "  live  with  our  children,"  and  the  immediate  realization 
of  this  determination,  express  the  desire  felt  by  many  for 
union  in  spirit  and  for  common  effort ;  consequently  the 
coming  year  from  its  first  day,  even  from  its  first  hour, 
may  thus  become  the  most  important  opportunity  for  hu- 
manity— an  opportunity  to  unite  for  the  welfare  of  the  in- 
dividual human  being  as  well  as  for  the  good  of  all  hu- 
manity. Such  united  effort  will  make  this  indeed  a  new 
year. 

But  what  awakes  in  us  the  anticipation,  what  secures 
to  us  the  belief  and  gives  us  the  conviction  that  the  idea, 
"  Come,  let  us  live  with  our  children,"  is  not  only  to- 


4  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

day  in  the  old,  the  departing,  and  in  the  new,  the  coming 
year,  but  at  all  times,  the  uniting,  fundamental,  living 
thought  of  many ;  and  that  it  not  only  finds  accord  and 
sympathy  in  the  human  breast,  but  is  held  fast  in  the  life 
and  deeds  of  humanity  ? 

There  is  no  man  who  was  not  a  child — not  one  who 
does  not  know  at  his  stage  of  culture  what  he  became  or 
did  not  become  by  the  holding  fast  or  not  holding  fast 
to  this  living  thought ;  yet  all  feel  deeply,  and,  indeed, 
express  frequently  to  themselves  and  others,  what  they 
might  have  become  by  a  general  adherence  to  this  idea. 
If  we  ponder  even  for  a  short  time  on  the  definite  hold- 
ing fast  to  this  idea,  we  must  deeply  experience  and 
clearly  recognize  that  by  carrying  it  out  ourselves,  by  the 
remembrances  of  our  childhood  which  it  arouses  in  us,  by 
the  complementing  and  completing  which  it  gives  to  our 
owm  life,  and  by  the  demand  which  it  makes  and  the  op- 
portunity which  it  gives  for  our  own  increasing  improve- 
ment, we  live  our  own  best  life. 

This. cry  escapes  us;  it  hopes  to  find  sympathy  and 
accord  in  the  breast  of  man ;  the  all-embracing  heart,  the 
penetrating  intellect,  perceive  it  in  all  things  as  a  silent 
feeling,  a  quiet  thought,  and  so  as  the  thought  of  the 
world. 

Heart  and  mind  see  it  express  itself  in  deed  and  as  a 
fact  in  the  whole  of  which  man  is  only  a  part,  of  which 
he  himself  is  a  member.  Does  not  the  sun  with  all  the 
stars  say  it  to  the  earth  with  all  its  creatures,  all  its  chil- 
dren ?  Do  not  the  elements,  earth,  water,  air,  light,  heat, 
say  it  to  one  another  in  reference  to  all  forms  of  earth  ? 
Do  not  all  the  parts  of  every  plant  say  it  to  one  another 
in  reference  to  the  seed  quietly  growing  in  its  place? 
Yes,  in  all  Nature,  where  life  and  activity  make  themselves 


THE  TWO  VIEWS.  5 

known,  where  the  individual  strives  to  absorb  the  unit  and 
the  whole  (as,  for  example,  the  kernel  contains  the  nature 
of  the  whole  tree)  in  order  to  make  it  more  perfectly 
known  and  demonstrated  in  raanifoldness  and  totality — 
everywhere  we  see  the  idea,  "  Come,  let  us  live  with  our 
children,"  express  itself  as  the  maxim  which  applies  to  all 
life. 

Should  not  now  the  conscious  human  being,  destined 
to  rise  to  yet  higher  consciousness,  express  aloud  for  mu- 
tual advancement  and  recognition,  and  also  for  common 
employment  and  accomplishment,  what  nature  already 
silently  expresses  as  a  general  law,  a  prevailing  demand  of 
life  ? 

Therefore  this  appeal  hopes  to  reach  those  who  will 
not  only  sympathize  with  it,  but  also  assent  to  it  and 
respond  to  it  in  action.  For  is  not  man  more  than 
every  other  creature  in  nature,  and  the  child  more  than 
the  germ  of  a  plant  ?  The  tree  germ  bears  within  itself 
the  nature  of  the  whole  tree,  the  human  being  bears  in 
himself  the  nature  of  all  humanity;  and  is  not,  there- 
fore, humanity  born  anew  in  each  child  ?  But  who  has 
fathomed  this  nature?  Who  has  measured  it?  Does  it 
not  rest  in  God  ? 

Thus  the  appeal,  "  Come,  let  us  live  with  our  chil- 
dren," is  a  true  life  call,  uniting  all  in  itself  as  in  a  cen- 
tral point,  on  the  dividing  line  between  the  departing  and 
the  coming  year ;  since  it  indeed  mingles  with  all  life ; 
not  only  uniting  human  beings  and  human  life  with  each 
other  and  with  humanity,  not  only  uniting  the  creature 
with  the  universe,  but  even  with  the  fountain  of  all  life, 
with  the  Creator,  who  said,  "  Let  us  make  man  in  our  own 
image." 

Therefore,  "  Come,  let  us  live  with  our  children  !  " 


6  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

The  Deed. 

Where  true  resolution  and  genuine  effort  for  compre- 
hensive representation  of  life  exist  there  appears  also  di- 
rectly the  deed,  as  is,  in  general,  the  case  with  the  clear, 
self-dependent,  uniting  thought  that  immediately  seeks 
also  to  manifest  itself  in  action.  The  fundamental  and  liv- 
ing thought  of  humanity,  "  Come,  let  us  live  with  our  chil- 
dren," becomes,  when  manifested  in  action,  an  institution 
for  fostering  family  life  and  for  the  cultivation  of  the  life 
of  the  nation,  and  of  mankind,  through  fostering  the  im- 
pulse to  activity,  investigation,  and  culture  in  man,  in 
the  child  as  a  member  of  the  family,  of  the  nation,  and  of 
humanity ;  an  institution  for  self -instruction,  self-educa- 
tion, and  self-cultivation  of  mankind,  as  well  as  for  all- 
sided  and  therefore  for  individual  cultivation  of  the  same 
through  play,  creative  self-activity,  and  spontaneous  self- 
instruction  ;  first  of  all,  for  families  and  schools  for  the 
nurture  of  little  children ;  for  primary  and  public  schools 
as  well  as  for  every  person  who  strives  for  completeness 
and  unity  in  his  culture ;  to  the  carrying  out  of  which 
the  spirit  of  this  reciprocal  appeal  has  united  many  fami- 
lies in  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  North  America. 

As  now  this  leaflet  *  is  first  of  all  intended  to  illustrate 
and  introduce  this  institution,  it  begins  immediately  with 
presenting  the 

Foundation  of  the  Whole. 

The  development  and  formation  of  the  whole  future 
life  of  each  being  is  contained  in  the  beginning  of  its  ex- 
istence. The  untroubled  realization  and  the  undiminished 
efficiency  of  the  life  of  each  being  depend  wholly  on  the 

*  The  Sunday  Leaflet,  in  which  this  essay  first  appeared. 


THE  TWO  VIEWS.  7 

comprehension  and  fostering,  on  the  recognition  and  firm 
carrying  out  of  this  beginning. 

Man,  as  a  child,  resembles  the  flower  on  the  plant, 
the  blossom  on  the  tree ;  as  these  are  in  relation  to  the 
tree,  so  is  the  child  in  relation  to  humanity — a  young 
bud,  a  fresh  blossom ;  and  as  such,  it  bears,  includes, 
and  proclaims  the  ceaseless  reappearance  of  new  human 
life. 

As  the  flower  bud  of  the  tree — connected  with  twig, 
branch,  and  trunk,  with  the  whole  ramification  of  root 
and  crown,  and,  through  this  double  ramification,  with 
earth  and  heaven — stands  in  united  coherence  and  recip- 
rocal exchange  with  the  whole  universe  for  the  develop- 
ment and  vivification  of  its  being,  so  stands  man  also,  in 
all-sided  developing  life-exchange  with  nature,  with  hu- 
manity, and  with  all  spiritual  efforts  and  influences — with 
the  universal  life. 

The  blissful  development  of  the  human  being  which 
leads  to  perfection  and  completion,  and  the  fitting  him 
for  the  attainment  of  his  destiny,  and  thus  for  the  attain- 
ment by  effort  of  the  genuine  joy  and  true  peace  of  life, 
depend  alone  on  the  correct  comprehension  of  man,  even 
as  a  child,  in  respect  to  his  nature  as  well  as  to  his  rela- 
tions, and  on  the  corresponding  treatment  of  man  in  ac- 
cordance with  this  nature  and  these  relations. 

But  man  is  a  created  being,  and,  as  such,  is  at  the  same 
time  a  part  and  a  whole  (therefore,  a  part-whole  *),  for,  on 
the  one  side,  he  is,  as  a  creation,  a  part  of  the  universe ; 
but,  on  the  other  side,  he  is  also  a  whole,  since — just  be- 
cause he  is  a  creature — the  nature  of  his  Creator  (a  living 

*  Gliedganzes  in  Frobel's  meaning  signifies  that  man  is  a  whole 
or  self-determining  being  and  at  the  same  time  a  member  of  a  social 
whole. — Ed. 


8  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   Klx\DERGARTEN. 


and  creating  nature  full  of  life,  and  testifying 
therefore  in  itself  single)  lives  in  him. 

This  original  and*  fundamental  nature  of  man,  as  be- 
ing life  in  itself  and  therefore  again  giving  life,  makes 
itself  known  in  man's  impulse  to  creative  formation.  This 
fundamental  nature  makes  itself  known  even  in  the  child 
by  the  instinct  for  observing,  analyzing,  and  again  unit- 
ing— that  is,  by  the  instinct  for  formative  and  creative  ac- 
tivity. Indeed,  the  fostering  of  this  instinct  in  the  child 
makes  manifest  the  life  of  man,  at  the  same  time  wholly 
satisfying  the  demands  of  that  life. 

Man,  as  a  child,  appears  to  be  conditioned  and  medi- 
ated by  father  and  mother. 

Father,  mother,  and  child  form  a  triune  life- whole — a 
family.  The  child  creates  the  family  and  the  family-life 
by  its  advent ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  man's  continuous 
presence  on  earth  is  indispensably  linked  with  the  family. 
The  family  and  child  reciprocally  condition  each  other ; 
neither  exists  without  the  other ;  they  form  in  themselves 
an  inseparable  unit. 

As  in  his  original  ^advent  in  the  universe  (on  the 
earth),  so  also  in  the  family  man  again  makes  his  appear- 
ance as  a  true  part- whole,  since  he  is  a  whole  in  himself, 
and  also,  at  the  same  time,  a  necessary  member  of  the 
family  life-whole. 

Only  as  a  member  of  the  family  will  it  be  possible  for 
man  to  become  a  symmetrical,  real,  whole  man ;  indeed, 
the  family  as  a  whole  is  a  real,  whole,  human  existence, 
and  the  family  life  as  a  whole  is  real,  complete,  human 
life. 

As  now  the  family  is  the  fundamental  condition  of  the 
production  of  man  and  the  mediator  of  his  existence,  so 
also  man  as  a  child  attains  fully  the  development  of  his 


THE  TWO  VIEWS.  9 


(instinctf  or  creative  self-actiyitylonlj  when  connected  witk 
and  conditioned  by  the  family.;  then  only  is  it  possible  for 
him  to  live  in  complete  accordance  with  this  instinct. 

All  genuine  human  education  and  true  human  train- 
ing, and  so  also  this  endeavor  of  ours,  are  linked  with  the 
quiet  fostering  in  the  family  of  this  instinct  for  activity, 
with  the  thoughtful  development  of  the  child  for  the  sat- 
isfaction of  this  instinct,  and  with  the  fitting  of  the  child 
to  be  active  in  conformity  with  it. 

It  is  the  aim  of  our  endeavor  to  make  it  possible  for 
man  freely_aiiii.spontaneouslxio_dei£liip,  to  educate  hi m- 
seil  from  his  first  advent  on  earth,  as  a  whole  human 
being,  as  a  whole  in  himself,  and  in  harmony  and  union 
with  the  life-whole — to  make  it  possible  for  him  to  inform 
and  i_n^truct  himself,  to  recognize  himself  thus  as  a  defi- 
nite rnember  of  the  all-life,  and,  as  such,  freely  and  spon- 
taneously to  make  himself  kjnown--freelyanjd  spontane- 
ously to  live. 

Moreover,  the  first  and  fundamental  appearance  of 
love — of  the  love  of  parents  and  child,  the  family-love — is 
found  now  in  the  family-life ;  indeed,  the  family  is  love 
itself  become  personal.  The  parental  love  manifests  itself 
in  its  whole  nature  just  in  and  by  means  of  the  nour- 
ishing and  developing  of  the  child's  impulse  to  creative 
activity,  and  in  the  supplying  of  the  means  for  this  devel- 
opment. The  fostering  of  this  impulse  arouses  and 
strengthens  the  love  of  brothers  and  sisters.  This  foster- 
ing of  the  impulse  to  creative  activity  is  thus  a  compre- 
hensive expression  of  the  true  love  of  parents  and  child,  of 
the  genuine  family-love,  and  so  reveals,  and  at  the  same 
time  wholly  satisfies,  all  love  and  the  nature  of  love. 

Considering  man  as  a  created  being,  it  is  also  quite  in- 
dispensable to  regard  and  treat  him,  even  in  childhood  as 


10  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

well  as  through  his  whole  life,  as  a  creative  being,  and  to 
train  and  prepare  him  so  that,  while  himself  creating,  he 
may,  even  from  his  earliest  years,  find  and  recognize  the. 
Creator,  the  creation,  and  the  created,  and  may  thus  find 
and  recognize,  himself  in  this  threefold  relation  and  con- 
nection according  to  the  measure  of  his  increasing  ca- 
pacity. So  trained,  he  will  be  enabled  to  understand  and 
comprehend,  and  thus  to  attain  to  that  which  is  man's 
calling  and  destiny  as  an  earthly  being — namely,  to  recog- 
nize God  in  the  creation  and  in  the  creature,  and  there-^^ 
fore  in  man ;  to  recognize  himself  in  himself  and  in  man-_ 
kind ;  and  thus  each  in  the  others,  and  the  others  in  each 
individual :  to  promote  this  recognition,  to  represent  it 
and  to  make  it  representable,  to  perceive  it  and  to  make 
it  perceptible. 

But  to  see,  to  recognize,  and  to  perceive,  require  and 
presuppose  light  and  almost  are  light.  Recognition  there- 
fore develops  light  in  and  around  the  human  being,  from 
the  satisfying  fostering  of  his  impulse  to  creative  and 
observant  activity.  The  destiny  and  calling  of  man  (to 
be  light  and  to  move  in  light),  as  well  as  the  possibility 
for  him  by  the  fostering  of  the  impulse  to  creative  activity 
to  fulfill  the  above-mentioned  destiny,  is  thus  shown  to  us. 

As  we  now  see  man,  even  from  his  first  appearance 
upon  the  earth  and  his  first  entrance  into  the  family, 
move  in  a  threefold  way,  which  is  yet  single  in  itself 
(therefore  a^  triune  way),  in  and  by  means  of  life,  in  and 
by  means  of  love,  in  light  and  by  means  of  light — ^^in  his 
seeing,  perceiving,  recognizing,  and  remembering — we  also, 
see  that  the  careful  fostering  of  his  impulse  to  creative 
activity  completely  corresponds  to  and  satisfies  this  triune 
life  of  man.  But  this  triune  way  in  which  man  moves 
is,  above   all  comparison,  important   to   the   human  be- 


THE  TWO  VIEWS.  H 

ing ;  for  God  shows  himself  in  Nature,  in  the  uni- 
verse, as  life ;  God  reveals  himself  in  humanity  as  love 
(and  in  love) ;  and  God  manifests  himself  in  wisdom  (in 
tlie  spirit)  as  light  and  in  light.  So  God  is  the  life,  the 
]gv^,  and  t_hfiJigJ|J; ;  and  in  such  a  triune  way  he  appears 
as  the^reator  and  in  the  creature, 

In  life, 'love,  and  light,  and  as  life,  love,  and  light 
therefore,  the  being  and  nature  of  the  child,  of  the  man, 
are  made  known  as  existing,  are  revealed  as  having  been 
realized  and  as  still  realizing. 

By  life,  the  child  appears  predominantly  connected 
with  Nature,  with  the  all ;  by  love,  he  appears  pre-emi- 
nently united  with  humanity ;  and  by  light,  he  appears  to 
be  one  with  wisdom,  with  God. 

Man  as  a  created  being  is  thus  in  his  first  period  of  life 
on  earth  to  be  regarded,  considered,  and  fostered  in  the  all- 
sidedness  of  his  relations  as  a  threefold  child,  as  it  were ; 
or,  as  a  child  in  three  separate  relations  which  are  united 
in  themselves — as  a  child  of  Naturq,  as  a  human  child, 
and  as  a  child  of  God  ;  that  is,  first,  according  to  his  com- 
mon, earthly,  and  natural  conditions  and  connections,  ac- 
cording to  his  life  ;  then,  according  to  his  special  human 
existence,  to  his  love;  finally,  according  to  his  original 
spiritual  nature,  his  anticipations  and  perceptions,  his  re- 
membrance, recognitions,  and  intentions,  his  knowledge 
and  his  wisdom.  In  his  first  relation  (as  a  child  of  Na- 
ture) man  is  to  be  considered  as  a  being  bound,  chained, 
unconscious,  subject  to  impulses,  sentient,  living  only  cor- 
poreally ;  in  the  latter  relation,  as  a  child  of  God,  as  a  free 
being  not  only  fitted  for  consciousness,  destined  to  con- 
sciousness, but  already  in  anticipation  conscious  of  his 
nature,  therefore  following  by  his  own  will  a  high  and 
genuine  unity  of  life  as  a  thoughtful,  perceptive,  intuitive, 
4 

\ 


12  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

spiritual,  knowing,  and  wise  being ;  and  in  the  intermedi- 
ate relation  (as  a  child  of  humanity)  as  a  being  struggling 
from  bondage  and  chains  toward  freedom ;  from  single- 
ness toward  unity,  toward  consciousness  ;  from  separation 
toward  union,  toward  peace ;  an  aspiring  being  devoted 
constantly  to  the  above-named  efforts  ;  and,  in  the  antici- 
pation of  finding  unity,  a  joyously  living  being. 

To  become  clearly  conscious  of  all  the  conditions  and 
relations  in  which  and  by  means  of  which  man  exists,  and 
to  faithfully  live  up  to  the  requirements  of  these  condi- 
tions and  relations,  make  man  (as  a  presence)  first  become 
man  in  consciousness  and  action ;  and  make  it  possible 
for  him  to  become  a  whole,  complete  human  being  by 
leading  him  to  an  equally  careful  and  joyous  fulfillment  of 
each  of  his  duties,  and  by  making  it  possible  for  him  to 
fulfill  the  totality  of  the  duties  of  man  in  harmony. 

Only  if  the  child,  the  human  being,  be  comprehended 
and  treated  through  the  whole  fostering  of  the  impulse  of 
his  life  (his  impulse  to  creative  activity),  in  the  triunity  of 
his  nature,  as  living,  loving,  and  perceiving,  in  the  unity 
of  his  life,  in  the  all-sidedness  of  his  circumstances  and  re- 
lations ;  if  he  be  comprehended  and  treated  as  an  earthly 
being  in  accordance  with  what  he  is,  what  he  has,  and  what 
he  will  become ;  only  if  he  comprehends  the  outer  world 
around  him  in  like  triunity  (and  thus  recognizes  the  revela- 
tion of  the  divine  in  like  triunity)  in  its  unity,  in  each  indi- 
vidual, and  in  the  sum  of  all  unities — only  thus  can  man 
develop  himself  as  that  which  he  is,  as  the  manifold  and 
articulated  (but  in  himself  single)  whole,  and,  at  the  same* 
time,  a  member  of  the  great  whole — of  all  life ;  only  thus 
can  he  develop  himself  in  conformity  with  his  destiny, 
and  be  faithful  to  his  vocation.  He  will  thus  form  an 
entirety  and  a  unity  of  life  from  and  around  himself,  and. 


THE  TWO   VIEWS.  13 

in  and  by  means  of  his  creative  life,  God,  Nature,  and  hu- 
manity will  reveal  themselves  in  unity  and  singleness^ 
Man  himself  will  make  them  known  as  they  reveal  them- 
selves to  him  in  and  for  the  all-sided  union,  the  genuine 
peace,  and  the  true  joy  of  life. 

So,  founded  on  the  nature  of  man  and  on  his  instinct 
for  formation  and  activity,  and  connected  with  the  foster- 
ing of  this  impulse,  the  aim  of  this  institution  is  to  be  a 
living  whole,  or,  as  it  were,  a  tree  in  itself,  as  well  as  to 
provide  means  of  employment,  and  consequently  of  cul- 
ture and  instruction,  founded  on  the  relations  of  man  to 
Nature  and  life ;  means,  which  when  applied  in  a  lively 
manner  to  the  child  from  the  first  stage  of  its  spiritual 
awakening  and  of  its  use  of  limbs  and  senses,  and  con- 
stantly advancing  with  the  growth  of  its  powers,  develop 
it  on  all  sides,  and  therefore  in  union  with  itself,  with  Na- 
ture, and  with  the  laws  of  life.  Thus,  this  institution  aims 
to  establish  means  of  employment  and  so  of  cultivation  and 
teaching,  which,  as  they  show  the  objects  of  cultivation 
and  instruction  in  union  with  each  other,  at  the  same 
time  represent  them  in  harmony  and  accord  with  the 
development  of  Nature  and  of  man,  and  satisfy  the  re- 
quirements of  both. 

The  detailed  plan  of  this  institution  will  be  shown  by 
the  following. 


II. 


PLAN  OF  AN  INSTITUTION    FOR   FOSTERING  THE   IMPULSE 
TO   CREATIVE    ACTIVITY. 

Preface. — Because  all  life  rests  in  one  unity,  and  be- 
cause all  existing  life  wells  forth  from  this  unity,  he  who 
will  work  benevolently  and  fruitfully,  blissfully  and  con- 
stantly, progressively  developing  to  increasing  perfection, 
must  try  to  act  and  to  live  in  inner  united  coherence  with 
the  development  of  Nature  and  man*,  with  the  stage  of 
cultivation  of  the  understanding  and  of  the  use  of  the 
reason  now  attained,  thus  in  full  accord  with  the  present 
stage  of  development  of  Nature  and  humanity  (that  is,  of 
the  whole  univerFe),  as  well  as  in  pure  harmony  with  the 
inner  demands  and  the  stage  of  development  of  the  indi- 
vidual or  whole. 

Thus,  he  who  desires  to  work  helpfully  and  fruitfully, 
constantly  and  beneficially,  for  the  welfare  and  found- 
ing of  the  family,  must,  in  harmony  with  the  stage  of 
development  of  his  family  and  its  members,  connect  his 
efforts  with  a  comprehensive  and  unital,  a  simple  and  yet 
general  human  fundamental  idea,  at  least  with  such  a 
general  perception  of  life ;  or,  rather,  he  must  make  such 
a  perception  his  starting  point.  He  who  does  not  do  this, 
just  in  proportion  as  he  does  not  do  so  builds  on  quick- 
sand. 

Now  such  ideas,  which  must  lie  at  the  foundation  of 


PLAN  OP  AN  INSTITUTION.  15 

the  Imman  influence,  especially  of  the  educating  influ- 
ence as  a  human  one,  have  been  already  definitely  and 
clearly  expressed  above ;  it  will  wholly  suffice  for  the  pres- 
ent aim — the  demonstration  of  the  plan  of  the  before- 
mentioned  institution — to  deduce  the  necessity  and  nature 
of  the  institution  in  view  from  a  principle  derived  from 
experience,  a  principle  which  rests  in  and  is  explained  by 
one  of  the  highest,  final,  fundamental  ideas,  and  whose 
innermost  coherence  with  the  highest  thought  of  life  comes 
out  definitely  enough  for  this  aim. 

This  principle  derived  from  experience  is: 

The  present  effort  of  mankind  in  harmony  with  the 
phenomena  in  Nature  and  the  time,  with  the  collective 
all-life,  is  an  endeavor  after  freer  self-development,  after 
freer  self -formation,  and  freer  determining  of  one's  own 
destiny.  In  fact,  the  more  or  less  conscious  aim  of  those 
who  make  this  effort  to  find  out  the  unity  of  the  individ- 
ual and  the  manifold,  the  inner  coherence  of  the  separate, 
the  accord  of  the  opposite,  the  abiding  with  the  changing^ 
the  true  being  behind  the  phenomenal,  and  the  spirit  in 
the  form. 

Therefore,  the  more  or  less  clear  aim  of  the  individual 
is  to  attain  clearness  about  himself  and  about  life  in  its 
unity,  its  foundation,  as  well  as  in  its  thousand  ramifica- 
tions and  in  its  relations  to  completeness  and  unity  of 
life,  to  comprehension  and  right  use  of  life,  according  to 
recognition  and  insight,  as  well  as  to  representation  and 
accomplishment;  and  all  this  by  voluntary  choice,  by 
spontaneous  and  personal  activity,  and  in  accord  with  all. 

This  portrays  the  present  degree  of  development  of 
mankind  in  character.  Therefore,  if  we  would  not  anni- 
hilate our  children  spiritually  and  bodily,  if  we  would  not 
cripple  their  present  childish  life,  the  youthful  life  next 


16  PEDAGOGICS  OP  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

to  be  attained  by  them,  their  future  life  as  citizens,  their 
future  domestic  life,  and  their  whole  life  as  members  of 
humanity,  we  must  in  the  education  and  training  of  our 
children  be  faithful  to  the  requirements  of  their  individual 
nature,  as  well  as  in  accord  and  coherence  with  the  present 
stage  of  human  development,  which  is  conditioned  by  and 
proceeds  from  the  development  of  the  whole  world,  the 
collective  all-life. 

That  this  highest  aim  of  life  may  be  attained,  the 
present  time  makes  upon  education  and  the  educator, 
parents  and  nurses,  the  following  wholly  indispensable 
requirement — to  comprehend  the  earliest  activity,  the 
first  action  of  the  child,  the  impulse  to  formation  and  to 
spontaneous  and  personal  activity  (the  first  manifestations 
of  which  appear  at  an  early  age),  to  encourage  the  earliest 
employment  of  children  at  home,  the  impulse  to  self-cul- 
ture and  self-instruction  through  self-shaping,  self-obser- 
vation, and  self-testing. 

Every  one  who  observes  with  any  attention  even  the 
first  stage  of  child-life  is  met  therein  (frequently  as  well 
as  definitely)  by  the  requirement  of  fostering  the  child's 
impulse  to  activity,  but  he  is  also  met  by  the  perception 
of  how  little  is  done  to  satisfy  the  requirement  generally, 
but  especially  how  little  is  done  to  satisfy  it  in  a  judicious 
way — that  is,  in  accord  with  the  nature  of  man. 

Very  many  loyal  parents  and  members  of  the  family, 
very  many  anxious  fathers  and  grandfathers,  loving  moth- 
ers and  grandmothers,  cousins  and  uncles,  fostering  elder 
brothers  and  sisters,  and  sympathizing  family  friends  and 
friends  of  the  children,  are  indeed  inclined  carefully  and 
suitably  to  nourish  and  foster  the  impulse  of  childhood 
and  youth  to  acquire  information  spontaneously  by  self- 
activity,  but,  on  the  one  hand,  only  too  often  the  requisite, 


PLAN  OF  AN   INSTITUTION.  17 

wholly  suitable  means,  and,  indeed,  the  needed  capacity 
and  dexterity,  knowledge,  and  training  are  lacking ;  but 
on  the  other  hand,  also,  the  child's  employments  as 
well  as  the  means  and  objects  of  such  employment  (the 
plays  and  the  playthings)  are  too  little — indeed,  not  at 
all — recognized  in  their  true,  deep  significance,  are  too 
little  comprehended  in  their  general  human  interest  and 
spirit,  which,  just  because  they  are  general  and  human, 
continue  to  cultivate  the  man  already  grown  up  and  rich 
in  knowledge,  and  are  too  little  presented  in  their  con- 
nection with  life  in  general.  The  consequence  of  this  is, 
that  these  means  of  play  offer  too  little — indeed,  nothing 
at  all — to  the  adult  for  the  nourishment  and  continued  de- 
velopment of  his  or  her  own  life ;  hence,  aside  from  the 
duty  of  older  people  to  children,  it  seems  to  the  adult  a 
waste  of  time  to  employ  himself  or  herself  with  fostering 
the  child's  impulse  to  activity  by  means  of  and  in  its 
plays. 

Now  the  aim  of  this  institution  is  to  make  the  needs 
and  requirements  of  the  child- world — needs  and  require- 
ments to  which  we  have  just  referred — correspond  to  the 
present  stage  of  development  of  humanity,  and  to  pro- 
vide for  parents  and  adults  who  find  themselves  in  the 
just-mentioned  position  in  regard  to  the  fostering  of  the 
children  intrusted  to  them,  appropriate  plays  and  means 
of  employment,  and  consequently  of  instruction  and  cul- 
tivation— of  education  in  general — and,  above  all,  means 
adapted  to  the  mind,  spirit,  and  life  of  the  child ;  there- 
fore to  be  able  to  prove  the  equally  necessary,  natural, 
and  human  reciprocal  call  of  the  families,  "  Come,  let 
us  live  with  our  children,"  to  be  as  general  as  it  is  rich 
in  blessing.  Hence  the  plan  of  this  institution  is  as 
follows : 


18  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

Plan. 

I.  To  provide  plays  and  means  of  employment  (con- 
sequently of  culture)  which  satisfy  the  needs  alike  of 
parents  and  child,  of  age  and  youth,  of  educator  and  pu- 
pil ;  which  therefore  nourish  and  strengthen,  develop  and 
form  the  life  of  the  children,  as  well  as  promote  the  life 
of  the  parents  and  adults — or  at  least  aiford  them  spiritual 
and  intellectual  nourishment  while  they  employ  them- 
selves in  playing  with  the  children — indeed,  we  might  say 
even  while  they,  as  experienced  and  intelligent  parents, 
and  observant  and  clear-sighted  older  people,  merely  ob- 
serve the  plays  and  spontaneous  employment  of  these 
children  in  a  thoughtful  manner — that  is,  with  spiritual 
and  intellectual  sympathy. 

The  spirit  and  character  of  these  means  of  employ- 
ment, and  so  of  instruction,  are  therefore  that — 

1.  They  proceed  from  unity,  and  develop  in  all  mani- 
foldness  from  unity  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  life. 
They  begin  with  the  simplest,  and,  at  each  particular 
stage,  again  begin  with  that  which  is  relatively  the  sim- 
plest; but  afterward  advance  in  reciprocally  beneficial 
relation  to  one  another,  and  according  to  the  necessary 
laws  contained  in  the  nature  of  the  things  themselves, 
from  the  simplest  to  the  most  complex,  from  that  which 
is  as  yet  undeveloped  to  that  which  is  fully  grown,  and 
so  on  in  accord  with  natural  and  spiritual  development 
— in  general,  with  the  development  of  life. 

2.  The  aim  of  each  of  the  means  of  employment,  and 
likewise  of  education,  is  purely  human  instruction  and  cul- 
tivation— that  is,  such  as  is  in  itself  single  as  well  as  unify- 
ing— so  that  through  the  right,  judicious,  and  spirited  use 
of  each  (even  of  the  smallest)  of  these  means  the  human 


PLAN  OF  AN  INSTITUTION.  19 

being  both  in  childhood  and  in  maturity  will  be  advanced, 
educated,  and  formed  as  an  individual,  and  also  compre- 
hended and  developed  as  a  member  of  humanity — there- 
fore as  a  member  of  his  family,  of  his  nation,  and  of  hu- 
manity, and  also  as  a  member  of  Nature  and  of  the  uni- 
verse— of  the  one-life  and  of  the  all-life. 

3.  The  totality  of  the  plays  and  means  of  employment, 
which  are  at  the  same  time  means  of  formation  of  charac- 
ter and  of  education,  as  it  proceeds  from  a  single,  funda- 
mental principle  of  culture  observable  in  Nature,  authen- 
ticated by  history,  and  proving  itself  to  be  purely  human, 
forms  a  stable,  coherent  whole,  all  the  parts  of  which  re- 
ciprocally explain  and  mutually  benefit  one  another.  This 
whole,  therefore,  resembles  a  tree  with  its  many  branches. 

4.  Each  individual  thing  which  is  attained,  however 
small  and  simple,  or  however  large  and  complex  it  may  be, 
is  therefore  always  a  self-contained  whole,  and  so  resem- 
bles a  bud,  or  a  kernel  of  corn,  from  which  manifold  new 
developments  can  be  called  forth,  which  again  converge 
into  a  higher  unity.  Wherefore  he  who  judiciously,  ener- 
getically, and  carefully  uses  for  his  little  charge  what  is 
attained,  is  himself  manifoldly  developed  as  well  as  har- 
moniously cultivated. 

5.  These  means  of  employment  will,  in  the  course  of 
their  presentation,  embrace  the  whole  province  of  general 
and  fundamental  instruction  of  the  faculties  of  perception. 
They  also  will  embrace  the  groundwork  of  all  future  ex- 
tended instruction  as  a  whole,  and  are  founded  on  the 
nature  of  man  as  an  existent,  living,  and  perceptive  being. 
But,  as  the  child  at  first  feels  and  finds  himself  in  space,  and 
finds  others  occupying  the  space  around  him,  these  means 
of  employment  proceed  from  space,  from  the  observation 
of  space  and  from  the  knowledge  which  comes  from  that 

N 


20  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN.         ^^ 

observation,  going  on  by  means  of  the  development  anSf 
training  of  the  limbs  and  senses  of  the  human  being,  and 
by  means  of  language  to  comprehend  Nature  in  its  most 
essential  directions;  so  that  finally  man,  who  at  first 
could  find  himself  only  in  space  and  by  means  of  space, 
may  now  learn  to  find  himself  as  an  existent,  living,  feel- 
ing and  thinking,  understanding  and  intelligent,  percep- 
tive and  rational  being,  to  retain  the  perception  of  him- 
self as  such  a  being,  and,  as  such,  to  strive  to  live. 

6.  It  is  quite  essential  to  the  spirit  and  character  of 
these  means  of  fostering  independent  action  in  the  child 
that  they  should  lead  to  the  thoughtful  observation  of 
Nature  and  of  life  in  all  its  parts  and  phenomena ;  but  it 
is  also  essential  that  they  should  lead  to  the  anticipation 
and  recognition,  and  finally  to  the  comprehension  of  the 
inner  coherence  of  material  things,  and  of  the  phenomena 
of  life,  and  also  of  the  oneness  of  the  material  and  spiritual 
worlds,  and  the  increasing  similarity  of  their  laws. 

7.  Thinking  and  discriminating  parents  will  there- 
fore find  these  plays  and  this  playing  of  use  and  benefit 
in  their  business  or  calling,  whether  it  be  an  inner  one  de- 
voted to  knowledge  or  an  outward  one  devoted  to  work, 
the  results  of  which  can  be  seen,  as  even  the  occupying  of 
one's  self  therewith  in  the  circle  of  the  children  is  invig- 
orating and  beneficial,  elevating  and  purifying,  in  its  retro- 
active effect  on  the  life  of  the  adult. 

8.  Each  play,  each  means  of  employment,  and  each 
means  of  self -teaching  will  be  accompanied  by  sufficing 
instructions  which  embrace  the  subject  on  all  sides.  These 
instructions  will  contain — 

a.  Description  of  the  nature  of  play  and  its  higher 
references  to  man  and  to  life. 

b.  Statements  of  the  relation  of  each  individual  play 


PLAN  OP  AN  INSTITUTION.  21 

and  means  of  employment  to  the  totality,  so  that  with 
each  is  specified  what,  in  general,  precedes  it,  what  accom- 
panies it,  and  what  follows  it ;  therefore,  on  what  it  is 
founded,  and  of  what  it  is  itself  the  foundation. 

c.  A  direction  sufficient  to  enable  parents  and  nurses 
and  teachers  to  use  the  play,  the  thing  being  vivified  by 
the  word,  the  word  illustrated  by  drawings,  and  these 
again  explained  by  the  word  and  the  thing  itself. 

d.  These  instructions  will  especially  render  prominent 
the  laws  of  mental  growth  proceeding  from  and  leading 
to  the  use  of  play  and  to  its  different  representations ;  and 

e.  Will  especially  state  the  firmly,  beautifully,  and 
clearly  formed  truths  of  Nature  and  life  obviously  con- 
tained therein,  for  the  purpose  of  self -disco  very,  self- 
observation,  and  further  self-development,  in  order  to 
unite  man  more  and  more  in  and  with  himself,  as  well  as 
with  Nature  and  life,  with  the  unity  and  fount  of  life. 

II.  In  the  gradual  accomplishment  of  the  whole  course, 
such  means  of  self-cultivation  and  self- instruction  are  to 
be  provided  as  satisfy  the  needs  and  requirements  of  the 
present  stage  of  human  development,  and  also  suffice  for 
adults  who  wish  to  continue  their  own  cultivation  in  ac- 
cordance therewith.  Here  will  be  presented,  in  conform- 
ity with  each  line  of  culture  and  instruction,  comprehen- 
sive summaries  of  all  parts  which  belong  together,  and 
of  the  relatively  higher  unities  and  the  highest  unity  of 
these  parts.  The  purpose  of  these  summaries  is  that  the 
human  being — as  all  unity  is,  properly  speaking,  invisible, 
and  only  perceptible  in  the  innermost — may  be  led  from 
the  visible  and  external  to  the  invisible  and  internal,  from 
the  appearance  to  the  true  being,  aud,  thus  led  into  him- 
self, may  also  be  led  to  God ;  thus  man  may  be  clearly 
shown  to  man  in  his  nature,  in  his  unfolding,  and  in  his  re- 


22  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 


lation  to  totality  and  to  unity — to  Nature  and  to  God — and 
so  may  come  to  man,  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  unity  and 
clearness,  consciousness  and  penetration  in  cultivation,  as 
well  as  in  life  and  in  insight,  and  therefore  joyousness, 
peace,  and  freedom. 

Since  we  are  now  deeply  convinced  that  man,  even 
though  only  unconsciously  faithful  to  his  nature  and  to 
the  higher  and  highest  demands  of  humanity  of  which  he 
is  a  member,  seeks  to  learn  to  comprehend  and  present 
the  outer  as  well  as  the  inner  coherence  of  life  in  the 
higher  and  highest  living  unity — in  spite  of  the  actual 
and  undeniably  apparent  disjointedness  in  life,  and  the 
generally  prevailing  seeking  merely  for  that  which  is  di- 
rectly and  immediately  useful  in  the  striving  for  informa- 
tion— we  hope  by  means  of  this  institution  to  answer  to  a 
need  in  accordance  with  the  spirit  of  the  age,  and  to  pro- 
vide such  an  education  of  childhood  as  will  correspond  to 
the  deepest  and  most  secret  (even  unknown  to  themselves) 
wishes  and  yearnings  of  parents  and  adults,  as  fosterers  of 
children. 

The  course  of  plays  and  means  of  employment  is  to 
begin  with  that  which  is  simplest  and  near ;  for  only  that 
which  proceeds  from  the  simplest,  smallest,  and  near  can 
develop  from  and  explain  by  itself  the  manifold,  great, 
and  distant — can  show  the  spirit  of  unity ;  and  it  is  only 
the  single  spirit  which  creates  the  single  life. 

And  thus  we  show  here,  for  the  fostering  of  the  im- 
pulse to  activity  and  of  the  creative  nature  of  the  child, 
first  of  all,  the  details  of  a  whole  series  of  boxes,  for  the 
play  and  for  the  occupation  of  children  in  methodical  and 
coherent  sequences,  stages,  and  gifts,  accompanied  by  il- 
lustrative drawings  and  text. 


1 


III. 

CHILD-LIFE.      THE   FIRST   ACTION   OF   THE   CHILD. 

As  the  newborn  child,  like  a  ripe  kernel  of  seed  corn 
dropped  from  the  mother  plant,  has  life  in  itself,  and, 
also  like  the  kernel,  develops  life  from  itself  in  progres- 
sive but  increasingly  spiritual  coherence  with  the  common 
life-whole  by  its  own  spontaneous  action,  so  activity  and 
action  are  also  the  first  phenomena  of  awakening  child- 
life.  This  activity  and  this  action  are,  indeed,  the  actual 
expression  of  the  internal  and  innermost  through  and  by 
the  outward,  therefore  inward  activity  devoted  to  observ- 
ing and  working  with  the  external,  to  overcoming  out- 
ward hindrances  merely  as  such,  and  to  penetrating  the 
external.  Hence  early  in  the  life  of  the  child  appears  an 
activity  in  harmony  with  feeling  and  perception,  indicat- 
ing a  slumbering  apprehension  and  comprehension  of  it- 
self by  the  child  as  well  as  an  already  germinating  indi- 
vidual capacity. 

The  nature  of  man  as  a  being  destined  to  become, 
and  in  future  to  be,  conscious  of  personality,  although  at 
first  apparent  only  in  slight  outlines,  yet  already  stamped 
with  suflScient  distinctness  to  be  observed  and  compre- 
hended— lies  in  the  quite  peculiar  character  of  childish 
activity  even  when  the  so-called  three  months'  slumber 
has  just  ended;  in  the  totality  of  the  first  childish  action 
(especially  after  this  time),  a  totality  which  can  not  be 


24  PEDAGOGICS  OF   THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

more  fittingly  designated  than  by  the  expression  "  to 
busy  one's  self  "  ;  in  the  impulse  of  the  child  to  employ 
itself,  an  impulse  awakening  at  the  same  time  with  the 
inner  life  of  the  child — that  is,  in  the  impulse  (in  accord 
with  feeling  and  perception)  to  be  active  for  the  increas- 
ing development  of  its  own  life ;  and,  as  we  remarked  in 
the  beginning,  man,  even  from  babyhood,  in  his  triune  re- 
lation to  Nature,  to  humanity,  and  to  God,  finds  his 
needs  completely  satisfied  by  the  correct  comprehension 
and  by  the  right  fostering  of  his  impulse  to  busy  himself, 
by  the  care  and  oversight  of  childish  occupations. 

We  are  repeatedly  impressed  with  the  conviction  that 
everything  which  is  to  be  done  for  the  true  human  devel- 
opment of  the  child,  and  all  efforts  which  are  to  be  made 
for  such  an  education  as  will  satisfy  the  needs  of  all  sides 
of  its  being,  must  be  connected  with,  and  proceed  from, 
the  fostering  of  the  impulse  to  employment,  and  the  over- 
sight of  the  first  employment  of  the  child.  For  the  im- 
pulse to  employment  corresponds  to  the  triune  activity  of 
man  in  doing,  experiencing,  and  thinking.  This  impulse 
corresponds  fully  to  his  nature,  which  is  to  have  power  to 
perceive,  to  comprehend,  to  obtain  self-knowledge,  to  be- 
come more  and  more  conscious  of  his  own  personality,  and 
to  become  spontaneous.  Therefore  the  whole  human  be- 
ing, all  humanity  in  the  child,  and  life  itself,  is  compre- 
hended by  means  of  the  impulse  to  employment. 

Notwithstanding  the  existence  of  the  impulse  to  em- 
ployment which  manifests  itself  early  in  the  life  of  the 
human  being  (though  but  the  slightest  traces  of  it  are  at 
first  perceptible),  it  has  been  commonly  stated,  but  from  a 
quite  incorrect  point  of  view,  that  the  child  is  so  helpless 
when  born,  and  develops  to  self-dependence  so  slowly,  as 
to  require  the  mother's   fostering   and   help  for  a  long 


CHILD-LIFE.  25 

time  ;  it  has  even  been  said  that  man  is  in  this  respect  be- 
hind and  below  the  animals.  Only,  as  we  shall  yet  more 
often  see  in  the  future,  just  exactly  that  with  which  hu- 
man nature  is  charged  as  a  necessary  consequence  of  the 
existence  of  human  beings  upon  earth,  or  which  is  at 
least  alleged  as  a  speaking  evidence  of  the  great  imper- 
fection of  man,  constitutes  his  evident  superiority  over 
the  other  creatures  on  earth,  is  a  sign  of  his  dignity,  and 
an  assertion  that  man  is  created  in  the  image  of  God,  so 
that  he  may  recognize  and  demonstrate  his  likeness  to 
God — that  is,  that  He  has  appeared  upon  earth,  and  under 
earthly  limitations  for  that  purpose.  For  we  recognize 
through  this  helplessness  that  man  is  destined  to  free,  self- 
active  progress,  and  is  called  to  higher  and  higher  stages 
of  consciousness  of  self. 

The  animal,  whose  life-impulses,  powers,  and  qualities, 
whose  instincts,  as  they  are  called,  are  at  birth  so  definite 
and  strong  that  it,  on  the  contrary,  does  not  fail,  and  in- 
deed in  a  free  natural  condition  can  not  fail,  to  overcome 
by  those  instincts  every  obstacle  in  each  department  of  its 
life,  the  animal,  just  on  account  of  its  strong  instincts, 
can  not  arrive  at  the  knowledge  of  its  powers,  its  qualities, 
its  nature,  its  unity,  and  therefore  can  not  arrive  at  a 
recognition  of  its  manifoldness,  nor,  above  all,  at  the  an- 
ticipation and  recognition  of  unity  as  such ;  still  less  can 
it  give  to  itself  an  account  thereof,  for  it  lacks  all  points 
of  comparison.  It  lacks  the  points  of  comparison  which 
(as  is  the  case  with  man)  proceed  from  the  fact  that  even 
the  weakest  manifestations  of  power  meet  in  their  work- 
ings with  obstructions  which  even  increase  as  the  power 
itself  increases,  and  will  thus  with  difficulty  be  overcome, 
or  prevailed  over  and  annihilated. 

It  is,  as  already  stated,  quite  different  with  the  life  of 


26  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

man,  in  which  at  first  scarce  anything  can  be  easily  ac- 
complished without  extraneous  help,  and  consequently 
nothing  without  hindrance,  but  especially  nothing 
through  the  superiority  of  power  from  within  (such,  for 
example,  as  the  just-hatched  duckling  shows  on  the 
water) ;  thus  everything  external  is  to  be  overcome,  even 
though  there  be  a  preponderance  of  helplessness,  through 
the  inner  enhancing  and  outward  strengthening  and  in- 
creasing of  power  by  the  free  activity  of  the  will.  This 
inner  self -enhancing  of  power,  proceeding  from  spontane- 
ity of  the  will  and  outward  strengthening  and  increasing 
of  this  power,  effected  by  this  inner  self -enhancing,  con- 
stitute the  superiority  of  man  over  the  animal,  and  this  so 
much  the  more  as  man  is  born  in  the  most  extreme  condi- 
tion of  helplessness. 

The  helplessness  of  the  newborn  human  being  in  re- 
spect to  everything  external  is  the  opposite  of  his  future 
ability  for  self-helpfulness  (an  ability  which  is  in  unison 
with  the  unity  and  the  wholeness  of  life)  through  the  en- 
hancement of  his  will  power  and  consequently  his  power 
of  action.  As  now  outward  helplessness  is  the  opposite  of 
possible  enhancement  of  inward  power,  so  the  latter  is  to 
be  aroused  and  become  recognized  and  strengthened  by 
the  former.  As,  in  general,  everything  is  and  will  be  best 
recognized  by  means  of  that  which  is  its  opposite,  there- 
fore helplessness  is  to  be  overcome  by  the  enhancement  of 
power ;  for  it  is  just  the  conquering,  or  rather  the  prevail- 
ing over  and  so  annihilating  the  outward  hindrance  of 
life  by  one's  own  will  power  and  one's  own  enhanced 
power  of  action,  which  preserves  to  man  peace,  joy,  and 
freedom  in  his  own  consciousness,  and  thus  elevates  him 
to  that  likeness  to  God  for  which  he  is  destined.  Help- 
lessness and  personal  will  (one's  own  will),  therefore,  soon 


CHILD-LIFE.  27 

become  the  two  hinges,  the  opposite  turning  points  (poles) 
ofJ;he  child's  life,  of  which  the  middle  point  and  point  of 
union,  and  thus  the  balance  point,  is  independent  activity 
and  free  activity,  self-occupation  and  self-employment. 
Herein  lies  for  the  educator  and  fosterer  of  the  human 
being  the  key  to  the  inner  and  outer  life  of  man  in  child- 
hood and  youth,  and  to  the  phenomena  of  this  inner  and 
outer  life,  often  as  difficult  to  explain  as  to  treat  and  to 
adjust.  By  means  of  this  key  there  is  opened  to  the  edu- 
cator an  unobstructed  view  of  the  lights  and  shadows  of 
child-life  and  of  its  phenomena,  which  so  often  seem  to 
contradict  one  another.  From  the  impulse  to  activity  and 
from  spontaneous  employment  of  one's  self,  or  rather  from 
the  three  (helplessness,  one's  own  will,  and  employment 
of  one's  self),  soon  proceed  habitude  and  custom  (often 
indolence  and  a  tendency  to  seek  one's  own  ease).  This 
fact  is  as  remarkable  and  worthy  of  notice  as  it  is  easily 
recognizable,  as  each  phenomenon — which  is  especially  to 
be  considered  in  the  life  of  children  and  in  the  correct  es- 
timation of  that  life — calls  forth  its  opposite.  One  will- 
ingly makes  one's  self  at  home  where  one  can  act  freely ; 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  one  can  act  freely  where  one  has 
made  one's  self  at  home. 

It  is  therefore  just  as  important  for  the  child  that 
those  who  have  it  in  charge  should  notice  its  customs,  its 
habits,  and  to  what  it  accustoms  itself,  especially  in  re- 
spect to  cause  and  effect,  as  that  they  should  notice  and 
foster  its  impulse  to  activity.  Indeed,  one  can  see  clearly 
that  just  this  trait  of  the  child  of  accustoming  and  inur- 
ing itself  to  something,  and  of  growing  together  with 
its  surroundings  and  becoming  one  with  them,  proves 
the  early  existence  of  the  impulse  to  activity  and  employ- 
ment even  when  the  child  outwardly  appears  inactive 
5 


28  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

(passive) ;  since  the  child  accommodates  itself  to  out- 
ward surroundings,  relations,  and  requirements,  in  order 
thus  to  obtain  more  space  for  the  play  of  its  inner  ac- 
tivity. 

As  now  habit  in  the  child  proceeds  from  spontaneous 
and  independent  activity,  so  also  imitation  springs  from 
it ;  and  it  is  no  less  important  for  the  fostering  of  child- 
hood and  child-life  and  for  observing  it  to  keep  this  origin 
of  imitation  in  view  than  to  keep  in  view  the  phenomena 
of  habitude,  custom,  and  independent  activity.  For  we 
see  the  whole  inner  spiritual  life  of  the  child  manifesLthe 
threefold  phenomenon,  spontaneous  activity,  habit,  and 
imitation,  as  a  triune  phenomenon.  These  three  phases 
are  intimately  united  early  in  the  life  of  the  child,  and 
give  us  the  most  important  discoveries  concerning  child- 
life  in  respect  to  foundation  and  result,  and  the  surest  in- 
dices for  the  early  correct  treatment  of  the  child.  None 
of  these  phenomena  should  therefore  be  excluded  from 
a  comprehensive  study  of  children,  such  as  would  sat- 
isfy the  nature  of  the  human  being,  for  all  three  are  alike 
deeply  grounded  in  human  nature  in  respect  to  their 
source.*  The  three  activities  taken  together  also  disclose 
the  following  aims,  which  wholly  correspond  to  the  nature 
of  the  child  as  a  human  being :  These  aims  are,  to  keep 
itself  such  as  it  feels  and  finds  itself — a  being  which  is  in- 
dependent and  yet  supported  by  the  whole ;  to  strengthen, 
exercise,  and  develop  its  limbs  and  senses,  and  to  make 
them  free,  thus  within  itself  and  by  its  own  efforts  to  at- 
tain more  and  more  independence  and  personality,  and  to 

*  We  shall  later  return  to  this  subject  on  account  of  its  impor- 
tance, and  will  then  treat  it  more  fully  and  in  more  extended  con- 
nections ;  but  this  limited  intimation  must  here  suffice  for  the  gen- 
eral foundation  of  what  follows. 


CHILD-LIFE.  29 

reveal  itself  in  its  personality;  finally,  to  obtain  knowl- 
edge of  the  independence  and  personality — that  is,  of  the 
independent  existence — of  that  which  surrounds  it,  and 
to  convince  itself  of  that  existence. 

This  joint  aim  of  life,  the  joint  activity  proceeding 
from  it  and  the  unity  of  life  at  the  foundation  of  both, 
are  expressed  by  the  child's  first  quiet  fixing  of  its  eyes. 
Hence  the  child's  first  clear  gaze  so  delights  and  uplifts 
those  who  witness  it,  for  the  child  thereby  proclaims  self- 
dependence  and  personality  in  itself  and  his  ability  to 
maintain  these  qualities;  it  also  acknowledges  the  self- 
dependence  and  personality  of  those  around  it  and  an- 
ticipates the  future  (though  as  yet  deeply  slumbering) 
unity  of  life ;  it  therefore  announces  the  elevation  of  man 
above  unconscious  nature,  and  fully  expresses  his  dignity, 
his  humanity. 

Therefore,  the  first  voluntary  employments  of  the 
child,  if  its  bodily  needs  are  satisfied  and  it  feels  well  and 
strong,  are  observation  of  its  surroundings,  spontaneous 
reception  of  the  outer  world,  and  play,  which  is  independ- 
ent outward  expression  of  inward  action  and  life.  This 
dual  expression,  taking  in  and  carrying  out  in  life,  is 
necessarily  grounded  in  the  nature  of  the  child  as  well  as 
of  the  human  being  in  general,  since  its  first  earthly  des- 
tiny is  to  attain  by  critical  reception  of  the  outer  world 
into  itself,  by  manifold  inward  impressions  and  through 
outward  realization  of  its  inner  world,  and  by  critical  com- 
parison of  both,  to  the  recognition  of  their  unity,  to  the 
recognition  of  life  as  such,  and  to  faithful  living  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  requirements  of  life. 

Since  we  now  see  man  at  an  early  age  comprehend  his 
destiny  by  means  of  these  three  activities,  so  the  collect- 
ive phenomena  of  his  whole  future  life  find  their  solution 


30  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

in  these  activities,  which  form,  as  it  were,  the  triune  point 
of  reference  and  vital  point  thereof. 

That  he  may  fulfill  and  attain  his  destiny,  man  is  en- 
dowed on  the  one  hand  with  senses,  the  organs  by  which  he 
can  make  the  external  internal ;  on  the  other  hand  with 
bodily  strength  and  limbs,  by  which  he  can  represent  his  in- 
ner nature  outwardly,  therefore  always  by  material  means ; 
finally,  that  he  may  comprehend  spiritual  unity,  the  nature 
of  man  appears  as  an  anticipating  and  individual  soul,  be- 
cause this  nature  is  in  itself  a  perceptive  and  uniting  spirit. 

It  is  therefore  evident  how  important  the  training  of 
body  and  senses  is  for  man  even  in  the  early  stages  of  his 
existence ;  and,  from  the  more  spiritual,  comparing,  and 
uniting  point  of  view,  it  is  also  evident  how  important  the 
kind  of  observation  of  the  outer  world  and  its  reception 
into  the  inner  nature  of  man,  and  also  the  kiyid  of  the 
voluntary,  playful  occupations  of  the  child,  are  for  the 
method  of  experience  as  to  its  conclusions  and  reasons, 
for  the  spirit  of  the  knowledge  and  insight  which  it  draws 
therefrom,  and  so  for  the  expression  of  its  nature,  which 
makes  itself  known  thereby. 

For,  as  the  life  of  man  in  all  the  necessary  variety  of  its 
phenomena  is  in  itself  a  complete  unity,  one  can  recognize 
and  consider  even  in  the  first  baby  life,  though  only  in 
their  slightest  traces  and  most  delicate  germs,  all  the  spir- 
itual activities  which  in  later  life  become  predominant. 

Beloved  parents  and  nurses,  do  not  say.  How  could 
the  last-named  spiritual  tendencies  be  contained  in  the 
life  of  the  little  child,  which  appears  as  yet  so  unconscious 
and  helpless?  If  they  were  not  contained  in  the  little 
child  they  could  not  be  developed  at  all  from  it ;  but  on 
the  fact  that  they  are  contained  therein  is  based  the  love 
for  children  of  the  greatest  friend  of  children,  his  judg- 


CHILD-LIFE.  31 

ment  concerning  them,  his  placing  them  on  the  same 
plane  with  himself,  and  his  demands  for  them.  Were 
these  directions  and  references  not  contained  in  the  child's 
nature,  the  quickly  discerning  sense  of  the  mother  would 
not  treat  the  child  from  the  first  moment  of  its  existence 
as  an  understanding,  perceptive,  and  capable  being,  and 
so  these  directions  and  references  could  never  become  the 
fruit  of  its  life ;  for  where  there  is  not  the  germ  of  some- 
thing, that  something  can  never  be  called  forth  and  ap- 
pear. 

The  outermost  point  and  innermost  ground  of  all  phe- 
nomena of  the  earliest  life  and  activity  of  the  child  is 
this:  the  child  must  bring  into  exercise  the  dim  antici- 
pation of  conscious  life  in  itself  as  well  as  of  life  aroiind 
it  J  and  consequently  must  exercise  poiver^  test  and  thus 
compare  power,  exercise  independence,  and  test  and  thus 
compare  the  degree  of  independence. 

Therefore,  as  soon  as  the  life  of  the  child,  its  power  of 
spontaneous  and  voluntary  action  and  its  use  of  limbs 
and  senses  are  aroused ;  when  it  can  freely  move  its  little 
arms  and  hands,  when  it  can  perceive  and  distinguish 
tones,  and  can  turn  its  attention  and  its  gaze  in  the  direc- 
tion from  which  these  tones  come ;  let  us  give  to  the  child 
for  its  spontaneous  and  voluntary  action  an  object  which 
expresses  stability  and  yet  movability,  which  in  this  stabil- 
ity and  movability  can  be  grasped  and  handled  by  the 
child  ;  in  which,  as  in  its  own  mind,  the  unity  of  all  mani- 
foldness  is  contained ;  which  it  perceives  in  its  new  exist- 
ence, in  which,  therefore,  though  as  yet  quite  uncon- 
sciously, it  can  see  its  own  self-dependent,  stable,  and  yet 
movable  life,  as  it  were,  in  a  mirror,  as  well  as  test  and 
exercise  such  life  by  such  an  object.  And  this  plaything 
is,  the  sphere,  or  rather  the  hall. 


^ 


IV. 


THE   BALL;    THE   FIRST   PLAYTHING   OF   CHILDHOOD. 
(See  Plate  1.) 

EvEN^  the  word  ball,  in  our  significant  language,  is  full 
of  expression  and  meaning,  pointing  out  that  the  ball  is, 
as  it  were,  an  image  of  the  all  (der  B-all  ist  ein  Bild  des 
All) ;  but  the  ball  itself  has  such  an  extraordinary  charm, 
such  a  constant  attraction  for  early  childhood,  as  well  as 
for  later  youth,  that  it  is  beyond  comparison  the  first  as 
well  as  the  most  important  plaything  of  childhood  espe- 
cially. The  child  loyal  to  its  human  nature — at  whatever 
incomplete  and  dim  stage  of  observation  it  may  be — per- 
ceives in  the  ball  the  general  expression  of  each  object  as 
well  as  of  itself  (the  child)  as  a  self-dependent  whole 
and  unity.  It  is  above  all  important  for  the  child, 
as  a  human  being  destined  to  become  and  in  the  future  to 
he  conscious,  to  perceive  that  which  is  inclosed  in  itself,  in- 
deed complete  (vollendeten),  and  so,  as  it  were,  the  coun- 
terpart of  himself  and  his  opposite ;  for  man  seeks  even 
as  a  child  to  develop  himself  as  well  as  everything  in  Na- 
ture by  means  of  that  which  is  its  opposite  yet  resembles 
it ;  and  so  the  child  likes  to  employ  himself  with  the  ball, 
even  early  in  life,  in  order  to  cultivate  and  fashion  him- 
self, though  unconsciously,  through  and  by  it,  as  that 
which  is  his  opposite  and  yet  resembles  him.  Indeed,  the 
ball  in  the  totality  of  its  properties,  as  will  be  clearly 


THE  BALL.  33 

shown  in  the  course  of  our  considerations,  is  in  manifold 
respects  as  instructive  a  type  for  the  child,  as  the  All  (the 
universe),  with  its  phenomena,  is  for  the  adult. 

There  is  yet  another  thing  which  gives  to  the  ball  not 
only  a  great  charm  for  the  children  but  likewise  deep 
significance  as  a  plaything,  and  so  as  a  means  of  educa- 
tion ;  this  is,  that  the  child,  feeling  himself  a  whole,  early 
seeks  and  must  seek  in  conformity  with  his  human  nature 
and  his  destiny,  even  at  the  stage  of  unconsciousness,  al- 
ways to  contemplate,  to  grasp,  and  to  possess  a  whole,  but 
never  merely  a  part  as  such.  He  seeks  to  contemplate,  to 
grasp,  and  to  possess  a  whole  in  all  things,  and  in  each  thing, 
or  at  least,  by  means  of  and  with  them.  This  can  be 
abundantly  proved  in  the  history  of  the  development  of 
the  individual  human  being  as  well  as  of  whole  nations, 
and  of  all  humanity.  Many  phenomena  in  child-life,  on 
the  bright  side  of  life  as  well  as  on  the  dark,  cari  also  be 
explained  thereby.  This  whole  for  which  the  child  seeks 
is  also  supplied  to  him  by  the  ball. 

Only  we  further  notice  in  the  life  of  the  child  how 
he — like  the  man  in  the  fairy  story — would  like  to  perceive 
all  in  all,  and  also  to  make  all  from  each.  The  ball  is  well 
adapted  to  fulfill  this  desire  also  of  the  child,  being  (as  a 
whole  inclosed  in  itself)  the  image  of  all  in  general,  and 
also  the  particular  image  of  individual  things  ;  as,  for  ex- 
ample, the  apple,  as  well  as  all  things  which  are  spherical 
in  form,  and  from  which  such  manifoldness  again  devel- 
ops, such  as  seed  grains  and  the  like.  The  ball — or,  what 
is  the  same,  the  sphere — is  actually  the  foundation,  the 
germ,  as  it  were,  of  all  other  forms  which  can  therefore 
logically  be  developed  from  it  in  conformity  with  fixed 
simple  laws  ;  this  fact  will  later  be  proved  in  the  course 
of  presenting  the  plays  and  the  means  of  employment  for 

\ 


34  PEDAGOGICS  OF   THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

children.  Indeed,  the  sphere  takes  up  immediately  into 
itself  all  surrounding  objects,  since  they  are  mirrored  in  it, 
as  is  justly  said.  Thus  all  which  the  child  needs  in  the  ex- 
pressions of  his  life  and  activity,  in  the  earliest  beginning 
as  well  as  in  the  later  course  of  his  development,  are  af- 
forded by  the  ball ;  for,  as  it  is  a  whole  in  itself,  it  is,  as  it 
were,  the  representative,  the  general  expression  of  each 
whole.  The  child  can  see  each  whole  and  himself  in  it, 
as  he  makes  each  whole  or  each  object  from  it,  can  repeat- 
edly impress  upon  it  his  own  image  and  thus  stand  face  to 
face  with  himself. 

In  fostering  the  development  of  the  child  special  at- 
tention must  be  given  to  these  expressions  of  his  life  and 
activity,  as  these  expressions  are  the  foundation  and  means 
of  the  recognition  of  individual  oneness,  of  unity  as  such, 
and  of  the  accord  of  all  things  to  which  man  is  destined. 
Attention  should  also  be  given  to  that  which  clearly  fol- 
lows from  the  preceding,  and  which  on  account  of  its 
great  importance  must  be  brought  forward  here  at  the  be- 
ginning of  a  play — namely,  that  the  spirit  in  which  a  play 
is  conceived  and  originated,  as  well  as  the  spirit  in  which 
the  plaything  is  treated  and  tlie  play  played,  give  to  the 
play  its  significance  and  its  worth,  its  efficient  value  to 
humanity.  So  also  if  the  spirit  by  which  Nature  is  cre- 
ated is  comprehended  by  man,  and  if  Nature  is  observed 
and  treated  in  accordance  with  that  comprehension,  this 
spirit  gives  to  Nature  the  significance  which  it  has  for 
man — a  significance  as  true  as  it  is  deep  and  full  of  life, 
producing  life  as  well  as  fostering  and  unfolding  life. 

But  now  how  is  the  ball  to  be  considered  and  used,  es- 
pecially for  the  first  strengthening  of  the  child  as  a  whole, 
for  the  first  exercise  of  his  bodily  powers,  the  development 
of  the  activity  of  his  limbs  and  senses,  as  well  as  for  the 


THE  BALL.  35 

arousing  and  nourishing  of  his  attention  and  of  his  free 
independent  action  ? 

This  is  wholly  in  accordance  with  the  needs  of  the 
child  and  the  nature  of  the  ball. 

We  see  how  the  little  child  likes  so  much  to  seize  and 
grasp  everything,  even  its  own  thumb  or  its  other  hand  or 
fist  if  it  has  nothing  else.  We  also  see — which  is  certainly 
worthy  of  earnest  consideration — how  each  hand  by  itself 
is  well  adapted  to  inclose  a  ball,  as  are  also  both  hands 
together. 

Therefore  a  ball  is  early  given  into  the  child's  little 
hand,  though  at  first  only  for  grasping,  for  him  to  lay  his 
little  fingers  round  like  rings,  in  order  to  comprehend  its 
roundness  and  thus  come  to  possess  and  hold  it  fast. 

Even  this  clasping  will  soon  strengthen  the  muscles  of 
the  child's  fingers,  hand,  and  arm,  and  also  develop  hand 
and  fingers  so  as  to  fit  them  first  of  all  for  voluntary 
handling  of  the  ball,  and  later  for  the  right  handling  of 
other  things.  Every  one  knows  how  much  in  the  life  of 
man,  and  even  in  the  life  of  the  child,  depends  on  the 
proper  grasping  and  the  right  handling  of  each  thing  in 
the  actual  as  well  as  in  the  figurative  sense.  It  is  there- 
fore inexpressibly  important  for  the  whole  future  life  of 
the  child  that  he  should  early  learn  to  actually  handle 
even  one  extraneous  object  on  all  sides. 

This  now  requires  that,  as  the  child's  use  of  limbs  and 
senses  increases,  the  ball  may  show  itself  to  the  child  more 
as  a  thing  separate  from  him  ;  for  at  first  the  ball  seems  to 
be,  as  it  were,  one  with  the  hand  of  the  child  himself,  and 
seems  to  grow  together  with  it  like  his  fist ;  and  this  is 
well,  as  thus  all  future  recognition  of  the  child's  surround- 
ings and  of  the  outer  world  come  to  the  child  by  means  of 
the  ball. 

\ 


36  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 


n 


As  soon  as  the  child  is  sufficiently  developed  to  per- 
ceive the  ball  as  a  thing  separate  from  himself,  it  will  be 
easy  for  yon,  dear  mother,  and  you,  dear  nurse,  having 
previously  fastened  a  string  to  the  ball  which  you  give 
into  the  child's  little  hand,  to  draw  the  ball  gently  by  the 
string  as  if  you  wished  to  lift  it  out  of  the  child's  little 
hand.  The  child  will  hold  the  ball  fast,  the  arm  will  rise 
as  you  lift  the  ball,  and  as  you  loosen  the  string  the  hand 
and  arm  will  sink  back  from  their  own  weight  and  through 
holding  the  ball  fast;  the  feeling  of  the  utterance  of 
force,  as  well  as  the  alternation  of  the  movement,  will 
soon  delight  the  child;  and  the  use  of  the  arm  in  this 
activity  gives  dexterity  to  the  arm  and  strengthens  the 
arm  and  hand. 

Now,  dear  mother,  here  is  the  beginning  of  your  play 
and  playing  with  your  dear  child  through  the  mediation 
of  the  ball.  From  this,  however,  soon  springs  a  quite 
new  play,  and  thus  also  something  new  to  the  child, 
when,  through  a  suitable  drawing  and  lifting  by  the  string, 
the  ball  escapes  from  the  child's  hand,  and  then  quietly 
moves  freely  before  him  as  an  individual  object.  Through 
this  play  is  developed  in  the  child  the  new  feeling,  the 
new  perception  of  the  object  as  a  something  now  clasped, 
grasped,  and  handled,  and  now  a  freely  active,  opposite 
something. 

One  may  say  with  deep  conviction  that  even  this  sim- 
ple activity  is  inexpressibly  important  for  the  child,  for 
which  reason  it  is  to  be  repeated  as  a  play  with  the  child 
as  often  as  possible.  What  the  little  one  has  up  to  this 
time  directly  felt  so  often  by  the  touch  of  the  mother's 
breast — union  and  separation — it  now  perceives  outwardly 
in  an  object  which  can  be  grasped  and  clasped,  and  which 
has  actually  been  grasped  and  clasped.     Thus  the  repeti- 


THE  BALL.  37 

tion  of  this  play  confirms,  strengthens,  and  clears  up  in 
the  mind  of  the  child  a  feeling  and  perception  deeply 
grounded  in  and  important  to  the  whole  life  of  man — the 
feeling  and  perception  of  oneness  and  individuality,  and 
of  disjunction  and  separateness ;  also  of  present  and  past 
possession. 

It  is  exceedingly  important  for  the  child  which  is  to 
be  developed,  as  well  as  for  the  adults  who  are  to  develop 
him  (therefore,  first  of  all,  for  the  father  and  mother),  that 
they  (the  adults)  should  not  only  perceive  but  should  also 
suitably  foster  the  awakening  individual  power  and  indi- 
vidual activity,  and  the  awakening  spirit  of  their  child  in 
the  traces  and  slightest  expressions  found  in  the  almost 
imperceptible  beginning,  so  that  the  development  of  these 
qualities  and  this  spirit  may  not  be  carried  on  by  acci- 
dental, arbitrary,  and  disconnected  exercises.  It  is  also 
important  to  observe  the  progressive  development  of  the 
strength  as  well  as  of  the  activity  by  means  of  a  measur- 
ing object,  for  which  also  the  play  with  the  ball  is  in  mani- 
fold ways  the  most  suitable  means  for  parents  and  child. 

The  idea  of  return  or  recurrence  soon  develops  to  the 
child's  perception  from  the  presence  and  absence ;  that  of 
reunion,  from  the  singleness  and  separateness;  that  of 
future  repossession,  from  present  and  past  possession ;  and 
so  the  ideas  of  being,  having,  and  becoming  are  most  im- 
portant to  the  whole  life  of  man  in  their  results,  and  are 
therefore  the  dim  perceptions  which  first  dawn  on  the 
child. 

From  these  perceptions  there  at  once  develop  in  the 
child's  mind  the  three  great  perceptions  of  object,  space, 
and  time,  which  were  at  first  one  collective  perception. 
From  the  perceptions  of  being,  having,  and  becoming  in 
respect  to  space  and  object,  and  in  connection  with  them, 


38  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 


1 

esent.      1 


there  soon  develop  also  the  new  perceptions  of  present, 
past,  and  future  in  respect  to  time.  Indeed,  these  ninefold 
perceptions  which  open  to  the  child  the  portals  of  a  new 
objective  life,  unfold  themselves  most  clearly  to  the  child 
by  means  of  his  constant  play  with  the  one  single  ball. 

As  we  now  find  that  all  the  development  of  the  child 
has  its  foundation  in  almost  imperceptible  attainments 
and  perceptions,  and  as  we  see  that  its  first  evanescent 
perceptions  (almost  imperceptible  in  the  beginning)  are 
fixed,  increased,  and  clarified  by  innumerable  repetitions — 
that  is,  by  change — so  we  also  remark  that  when  two  dif- 
ferent and  separate  perceptions  have  been  once  received 
by  the  child,  the  third  and  the  following  perceptions 
necessarily  proceed  from  them.  I 

It  is  highly  important  for  the  careful  and  faithful  foster- 
ing of  the  child  that  the  fosterer  should  devote  her  whole 
attention  to  this  truth  early  in  the  life  of  the  child.  It  is 
also  important  early  to  observe,  to  retain,  and  therefore  to 
connect  with  the  objective,  the  linking  together  of  the  ap- 
parent and  of  the  existent  life,  though  this  linking  together 
is  at  first  but  dimly  perceptible.  For  the  future  sure  at- 
tainment of  the  earthly  destiny  of  man  not  only  depends 
on  the  comprehension  of  the  nature  of  being,  having,  and 
becoming,  of  object,  space,  and  time,  as  well  as  on  the 
correct  comprehension  and  consideration  of  present,  past, 
and  future,  but  man  himself  will,  even  in  early  child- 
hood, in  his  triune  nature  and  in  conformity  with  the 
qualities  combined  in  him  in  a  manner  corresponding  to 
his  nature,  claim  the  attainment  of  this  destiny.  The 
more  clearly  you  perceive  this,  parents  and  fosterers  of 
childhood,  and  the  more  definitely  you  employ  it  in  your 
fostering,  the  richer  in  results  will  be  your  education  of 
children. 


THE  BALL.  39 

True,  the  natural  and  unspoiled  feeling  of  the  mother 
often  hits  upon  the  right  thing  to  do ;  but  this  right  thing 
is  done  by  her  too  unconsciously  and  too  unconnectedly, 
it  is  not  repeated  continuously  enough ;  still  less  is  it  con- 
stantly and  progressively  developed,  and  so  it  is  not  logi- 
cally enough  built  up.  The  mothers  themselves,  and  yet 
more  the  nurses  who  undertake  the  mothers'  business  at 
a  later  time,  only  too  easily  abandon  the  path  correctly 
pointed  out  by  the  pure  motherly  feeling,  as  could  be 
easily  demonstrated  in  many  places ;  but  we  wish  and  en- 
deavor to  have  that  which  the  natural  motherly  feeling 
correctly  though  unconsciously  suggests  clearly  recognized 
and  constantly  and  progressively  fostered,  and  so  that  life 
may  become  by  this,  for  parents  and  child,  a  whole,  the 
parts  of  which  constantly,  progressively,  and  reciprocally 
train  one  another — a  whole  which  is  consciously  and  pro- 
gressively formed. 

Thus  the  mother,  guided  by  human  feelings,  connects 
the  mute  action,  the  becoming  and  become,  with  that 
which  is  perceptible  only  to  the  sight  and  touch — as,  for 
instance,  the  action  is  connected  with  a  definite  place  and 
object,  and  then,  almost  without  exception,  is  connected 
with  the  audible  word,  the  sign  vanishing  again  almost  as 
soon  as  it  arises. 

From  the  connection  of  opposites  and  the  duality  of 
the  silent  and  the  sounding,  of  the  abiding  and  the  van- 
ishing, of  the  visible  and  the  invisible,  of  the  corporeal 
and  the  spiritual  object,  there  goes  forth  to  the  child 
(who  also  bears  this  duality  within  himself  in  its  unity) 
the  object  as  recognized  by  the  mind,  and  thus  held  fast, 
and  the  consciousness  of  the  object;  in  this  way  con- 
sciousness itself  develops  in  the  child. 

But  consciousness  itself  belongs  to  the  nature  of  man 

% 


40  PEDAGOGICS  OF   THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

and  is  one  with  it.  To  become  conscious  of  itself  is  the 
first  task  in  the  life  of  the  child,  as  it  is  the  task  of  the 
whole  life  of  man.  That  this  task  may  be  accomplished, 
the  child  is  even  from  his  first  appearance  on  earth  sur- 
rounded by  a  definite  place,  and  by  objects :  by  the  air 
blowing  around  all  living  creatures,  as  well  as  by  the 
arousing,  human,  spiritual  language  of  words ;  and  so  the 
animating  word,  at  least  the  animating  song,  belong  to 
each  voluntary  employment,  and  hence  to  playing  with 
the  child.  Genuine,  childlike  human  beings,  mothers 
especially,  as  we  have  before  seen,  know  this  very  well  of 
themselves,  therefore  they  undertake  nothing  with  the 
child  which  they  do  not  accompany  with  words  spiritu- 
ally exhaled  and  inhaled,  even  if  obliged  to  confess  that 
there  can  be  no  understanding  of  the  spoken  words  by  the 
child,  as  the  general  sense  of  hearing  is  not  yet  developed, 
still  less  the  special  hearing  of  words.  So  we  find  the 
mother,  soon  after  the  child's  birth,  caressing  and  talking 
to  the  little  one ;  for  that  which  can  develop  and  origi- 
nate, and  is  intended  to  do  so,  begins  and  must  begin 
when  as  yet  nothing  exists  but  the  conditions;  the  possi- 
bility, and,  especially  with  human  fostering,  the  dim  an- 
ticipation of  it.  Thus  is  it  with  the  attainment  of  man  to 
consciousness,  and  the  speech  required  and  conditioned 
by  that  attainment  to  consciousness. 

But  now,  how  shall  this  word  accompanying  the  play 
with  the  child,  the  play-speech  of  the  child,  be  formed  ? 

As  childlike,  as  motherly,  as  playfully  as  possible ;  so 
motherly,  that  the  mother  creates  it  herself  in  the  instant 
of  using  it  with  the  child ;  that,  quite  unconsciously  to 
herself,  she  creates  it  afresh  in  her  own  mind  and  from 
life  so  that  it  passes  away  as  the  word  dies  away ;  for  this 
speech  is  to  express  the  highest  personal  and  most  di- 


THE  BALL.  41 

rectly  felt  motherly  life  with  the  child ;  it  is  therefore 
impossible  to  put  it  down  in  black  and  white  and  repre- 
sent it  in  its  individuality,  in  its  life-awakening  and  life- 
ravishing  fullness,  which  is  caused  by  momentary  emotions 
of  the  mind  and  mind-union,  by  gaze,  movement,  and 
tone,  as  well  as  by  song,  etc. 

Yet,  in  order  as  much  as  possible  to  come  to  an  under- 
standing with  the  dear  fosterers  of  childhood,  a  hint  at 
least,  may  be  permitted  to  us. 

Just  as  soon  as  the  child's  first  capacity  for  speech 
is  somewhat  developed,  we  note  how  it  follows  out  the 
sound  in  and  by  means  of  the  movement  which  it  remarks, 
and  that  it  tries  to  imitate  that  sound  with  its  own  or- 
gans. "  Tic,  tac,"  we  hear  it  say,  in  imitation  of  the  move- 
ment of  the  pendulum  and  the  striking  of  the  clock.  We 
hear  it  say,  or  sing,  "  Bim,  bom,"  when  the  sound  of  the 
movement  is  more  audible,  or  is  comprehended  as  a  sound. 
In  the  words  in  and  out  {Innen  und  Aussen),  it  is  worthy 
of  note  that  the  child  uses  the  vowel  scale  e — ah — oo, 
which  symbolizes  the  movement  from  within  (e)  to  the 
outward  (oo). 

Thoughtful  and  observant  nurses  can  therefore  ob- 
serve many  and  beautiful  things  in  all  the  first  expres- 
sions of  the  workings  of  the  child's  inner  life,  especial- 
ly when  he  begins  actually  to  speak.  These  many  and 
beautiful  things  which  can  be  observed  are  an  essential 
guidance  in  fostering  the  development  of  the  child.  So 
we  must  perceive  that  the  child,  in  the  beginning  of 
its  use  of  speech,  comprehends,  designates,  and  retains 
through  the  words  "  tic,  tac  "  rather  the  physical  part  of 
the  movement ;  but  by  "  bim,  bom  "  he  comprehends  the 
movement  more  from  the  feeling,  if  one  might  so  say,  in 
the  mind.     And  (if  I  may  be  permitted  to  express  myself 


42  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

thus)  through  the  "  there,  here,"  which  comes  later,  the 
child  follows  the  movement  more  as  a  thing  of  compari- 
son, of  recognition,  and,  in  his  dawning  thought,  more 
intellectually. 

A  further  treatment  of  this  subject  must  come  later ; 
now,  we  can  only  remark  that  it  is  highly  important  for 
the  nurse  to  observe  even  the  first  and  slightest  traces  of 
the  articulate  connection  of  the  corporeal,  intellectual, 
and  spiritual  nature  of  the  child,  and  to  observe  it  in 
its  development  from  existence  to  sensation  and  thought, 
so  that  none  of  these  directions  of  the  child's  nature 
should  be  arrested,  or  cultivated,  in  the  development  of 
the  child  at  the  expense  of  the  others ;  but  neither  should 
any  be  repressed  and  neglected  for  the  sake  of  the  oth- 
ers. It  appears  important  to  us  here,  and  we  believe  that 
all  who  quietly  consider  the  first  development  of  the  child 
have  already  remarked,  or  will  yet  remark,  that  children, 
even  from  the  first  stage  of  development  at  the  point  to 
which  they  have  arrived,  are  apt  to  indicate  the  swing- 
ing movement,  "  bim,  bom,"  in  a  singing  tone  which  ap- 
proaches to  song,  and  serves  as  such  the  emotional  nature 
and  its  cultivation.  They  thus  early  and  definitely  point 
out  that  the  center,  the  real  foundation,  the  starting  point 
of  human  development,  and  thus  of  the  child's  develop- 
ment, is  the  heart  and  emotions ;  but  the  training  to  ac- 
tion and  to  thought,  the  corporeal  and  spiritual,  goes  on 
constantly  and  inseparably  by  the  side  of  it ;  and  thought 
must  form  itself  into  action,  and  action  resolve  and  clear 
itself  in  thought ;  but  both  have  their  roots  in  the  emo- 
tional nature. 

After  these  remarks,  which  are  necessary  for  the 
knowledge,  fostering,  and  protection  of  the  primitive 
course  of  development,  and  of  the  laws  of  development 


THE  BALL.  43 

of  the  human  being,  let  us  return  to  our  childish  play, 
but  now  with  a  presentiment  of  its  deep  significance. 

By  a  slow  and  constant  pull,  the  ball,  hanging  to  a 
string,  escapes  from  the  child's  hand,  and  "  Bim,  bom ; 
bim,  bom  ;  tic,  tac  ;  tic,  tac  ;  here,  there  ;  here,  there  " 
sounds  immediately  from  the  mother's  mouth,  and  in- 
dicates the  movement  of  the  ball. 

This  quite  simple  play  admits  of  many  changes  by  con- 
necting it  with  different  tones  and  words. 

"  See,  child,  see  the  ball— there,  here ;  there,  here." 
(Compare  Nos.  1  and  2,  Plate  L) 

The  ball  resting,  "  Here  "hangs  the  ball." 

Slowly  raising  and  lowering  the  ball  by  the  string, 
"  Up,  down."     (See  Nos.  5  and  6.) 

Letting  it  swing  over  an  object  (for  example,  the  other 
hand  placed  crosswise) :  "  There,  here  ;  there,  here  ;  over 
there,  over  here."  (See  Nos.  3  and  4.)  Or,  considerably 
lengthening  the  string,  that  the  ball  may  swing  slowly  now 
toward  the  child,  now  away  from  him,  "  Near,  far  ;  near, 
far  " ;  or,  "  Now  comes  the  ball ;  off  goes  the  ball,"  or  "  The 
ball  comes ;  the  ball  goes  away  "  ;  or  as  a  general  indica- 
tion, "  Here  it  comes,  there  it  goes." 

Swinging  the  ball  slowly  in  a  circle :  "  Around,  around ; 
round  to  the  right,  round  to  the  right ;  round  to  the  left, 
round  to  the  left."     (Compare  Nos.  13,  14,  15.) 

Or,  playing  with  the  ball  on  a  firm  surface  on  the  table 
before  the  child,  "  Tap,  tap,  tap,"  letting  the  ball  fall  on 
different  parts  of  the  surface,  especially  in  a  vertical  di- 
rection.    (See  No.  7.) 

"  Jump,  ball,  jump  ! "  "  See,  now  the  ball  jumps  ! 
Jump !  jump !  jump ! "  letting  the  ball,  held  by  the  string, 
fall  quickly  and  rebound  by  its  own  elasticity.  (See 
No.  9.) 


44  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

Or,  helping  it  by  a  quick,  short  drawing  of  the  string, 
"  The  ball  jumps  high  " ;  "  The  ball  can  jump  no  more  ; 
it  is  tired  ;  it  lies  down  to  sleep." 

Quickly  lifting  the  ball  from  the  surface  of  the  table 
on  something,  for  example,  the  ball's  box,  "  Hop  up  high  " ; 
or,  raising  it  quickly  over  the  box,  "  Hop  over."  (See  Nos. 
8  and  10.) 

Twirling  the  ball  on  a  surface  in  a  horizontal  position 
by  the  string,  and  then  around  a  center,  and  imitating 
with  the  voice  the  more  outward  movement  "  r  r  r  r  "  or 
merely  "  Around,  around."     (See  No.  20.) 

And  now  raising  the  ball  quickly  by  the  string  in  a 
vertical  direction  into  the  air,  and  now  hanging  it,  letting 
it  twirl  quietly  and  quickly  backward,  and  now  imitating 
more  its  inner  movement  by  "  1  1 1  1 "  or  "  Turn  thee,  turn 
thee ;  swiftly,  swiftly,"  or,  pointing  out  the  increasing 
speed  of  the  movement,  "Faster  and  faster."  (See  No. 
31.) 

The  rolling  on  the  surface  can  now  be  repeated,  "  Now 
to  the  right,  now  to  the  left " ;  and  so  also  can  the  turning 
of  the  ball  hanging  by  the  string  be  changed,  "  Now  to 
the  left,  now  to  the  right." 

Then  drawing  the  ball  on  a  surface,  "  Pull,  pull,  pull." 
(See  No.  22.)  The  string  may  at  this  point  be  laid  in  the 
child's  hand,  and  string  and  hand  grasped  by  the  mother's 
hand  and  the  ball  drawn  off  the  support :  "Ah,  there  falls 
the  ball ! "  This,  which  appears  to  the  child  an  effect  of 
his  own  action,  delights  him  exceedingly. 

Now  the  swinging  movement  may  be  again  made  with 
the  ball  in  the  air,  either  out  from  the  middle,  "  Always 
wider,"  or  from  the  outside  toward  the  center  "Always 
narrower."     (See  Nos.  16  and  17.) 

As  the  child  before  perceived  the  circling  movement, 


THE  BALL.  45 

SO  it  sees  here  the  spiral  widening  and  narrowing.  So 
the  movement  of  the  ball  can  also  be  made  in  an  oval 
line,  "  Lengthen  out,"  or  "  Widen  out." 

In  the  same  way,  winding  the  ball  on  a  string  up  and 
down  round  a  stick  in  the  form  of  a  screw,  "  Always  higher, 
always  lower."     (See  Nos.  18  and  19.) 

Or,  merely  drawing  the  ball  on  a  string  slowly  up  and 
letting  it  down,  "  High,  low ;  high,  low." 

Now,  the  ball  free  from  the  string  is  allowed  to  roll  on 
the  surface.  "  Roll,  roll,  roll,  roll ;  there  the  ball  runs  !  " 
(See  Nos.  11  and  12.) 

Or  the  ball  can  be  made  to  recoil  from  a  surface — for 
example,  the  ball-box  or  a  book  :  "  Come,  ball,  come  again 
to  baby";  "Here  conies  the  ball";  "  Catch  the  ball"; 
"  The  ball  has  fallen  "  ;  «  Go  for  the  ball " ;  "  Look  for  the 
ball."  The  mother  may  lift  the  child  to  the  place  where 
the  ball  lies,  in  order  that  the  little  one  may  itself  pick 
it  up.  If  the  child  has  attained  to  any  degree  of  intel- 
lectual and  physical  development  and  strength,  he  must 
be  allowed  to  pick  up  the  ball  himself  when  he  throws  it 
to  the  ground ;  and  if  the  child  is  as  yet  too  small  and 
helpless  to  move  himself  for  that  purpose,  he  must  be 
lifted  to  the  place  where  the  ball  lies,  especially  if  he  him- 
self has  thrown  the  ball  away ;  so  that  he  may  early  ex- 
perience the  consequences  and  requirements  of  his  own 
action,  and  discover  that  he  must  himself  fulfill  the  re- 
quirements and  bear  the  consequences.  Effort  should  be 
early  made  not  only  to  have  the  child  make  many  and 
definite  discoveries,  but  to  have  it  retain  them,  as  well  in 
respect  to  their  connections  with  each  other  as  in  respect 
to  their  results. 

"Where  is  the  ball?"  "There  is  the  ball  again." 
"  Ball,  stay  now  with  baby." 


46  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

Or,  closing  the  hand  over  the  ball,  "  Where  is  the  ball  ?  " 
Opening  the  hand  again,  "  There  is  the  ball."  (See  Nos. 
25  and  26.) 

A  beautiful  exercise,  which  is  particularly  pleasing 
to  the  child,  is  this :  to  make  the  ball  turn  constantly 
around  its  own  center  in  the  hollowed  hand  by  a  con- 
stant alteration  of  its  center  of  gravity,  or  rather  its 
point  of  support.  This  play  can  be  well  performed  by 
moving  the  ball  in  a  saucer  in  the  same  manner,  by 
which  the  ball  can  be  made  to  run  around  almost  on  the 
rim  without  falling.  This  representation  can  be  accom- 
panied by — "  Dance  prettily,"  or  "  See,  the  ball  dances  !  " 
etc. 

Or,  raising  the  ball  again  by  the  string  behind  the 
other  hand,  placed  crosswise,  "  Off ! "  etc.  "  Where ! "  etc. 
Bringing  it  again  before  the  hand,  "  There  !  "  etc.  (See 
Nos.  25  and  26.) 

Each  of  these  exercises  can  now  be  repeated  by  itself 
as  often  as  it  gives  the  child  pleasure.  Through  this 
repetition  these  exercises  become  just  as  important  for 
the  extension  of  the  horizon  of  experience  as  for  the 
greater  clearness,  definiteness,  and  distinctness  of  the 
child's  experiences. 

Thoughtful  and  attentive  mothers  and  nurses  can, 
however,  perceive  that  all  this  proceeds  from  the  play  and 
the  exercises  themselves. 

Then,  lowering  the  ball  into  some  inclosed  space — for 
example,  into  the  ball  box — "  Deep  in  ! " 

Shutting  the  ball  up  in  the  box  again :  "  The  ball  is 
gone ! "  "  It  wants  to  sleep ! "  "  My  child  is  tired  ;  yes,  it 
is  tired  ;  it  wants  to  sleep  too ! " 

These  and  many  other  observation  exercises  offer  in 
their  connections  innumerable  changes  for  the  employ- 


THE  BALL.  47 

ment  of  the  child  and  for  the  awakening  and  nourishing 
of  his  intellectual  as  well  as  of  his  bodily  activity ;  especially 
when  the  limbs  of  the  child  are  so  strengthened  and  de- 
veloped in  power  that  the  ball  can  be  given  up  to  him,  at 
least  partly,  and  he  can,  by  his  capacity  for  speech,  which 
is  equally  developing,  already  enter  into  a  kind  of  conver- 
sation with  his  nurse ;  and  yet  we  have  here  in  the  em- 
ployment with  the  ball  a  whole  side  of  childish  employ- 
ment and  play  to  consider,  namely,  the  fact  that  the  child 
likes  so  much  to  see  all  in  each  object,  and  to  make  all 
from  each.  Many  kinds  of  objects,  inanimate  and  ani- 
mate, can  not  fail  to  appear  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
child,  in  his  surroundings ;  to  the  latter  especially  his  at- 
tention is  called  involuntarily  by  their  coming  and  going, 
or,  intentionally,  by  his  nurse.  Life  generally  attracts 
life,  as  it  awakens  life.  The  child  sees  the  coming  of  the 
dog  and  cat ;  in  one  case  of  the  poodle  or  Spitz,  in  the 
other  of  the  cat  or  kitten.  The  child  notices  the  bird, 
the  birdie  in  the  cage,  the  sparrow  at  the  window ;  the 
dove,  the  cock,  and  hen,  the  hen  and  chicken  in  the  yard ; 
he  sees  the  carriage,  and  the  horse,  etc. 

In  conformity  with  this  quality  and  requirement  of 
the  child,  the  swinging  ball  can  now  become  a  birdie : 
"  See  how  the  birdie  flies,  now  here,  now  there  !  " 

Now  the  springing  ball  can  become  a  kitten  :  "  There 
springs  the  kitty  on  the  bench." 

Now  a  dog  :  "  Hop  goes  the  dog  over  the  hedge." 

Now  the  ball  becomes  a  chicken  :  "  Tip,  tap,  tap,  the 
chicken  comes  running." 

Now  the  cock :  "  Tap,  tap,  tap,  the  cock  picks  up  the 
corn." 

Now  a  squirrel  which  climbs  up  the  tree,  going  round 
and  round  it,  or  in  the  same  manner  climbs  down. 


48  PEDAGOGICS  OP  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

Now  a  miner  :  "  He  goes  deep  down  into  the  shaft. 

Or  the  ball  without  a  string  :  now  the  sheep  which  we 
must  watch ;  now  the  horse  or  colt  which  springs  away ; 
now  the  dog  which  comes  running,  "  Bow,  wow,  wow ! " 
But  now,  again  the  ball  on  the  string,  on  the  carriage  (or, 
if  it  is  winter,  on  the  sled  or  sleigh)  which  is  drawn  ;  and 
a  hundred  other  things. 

The  thought  now  impresses  itself  upon  us  as  an  im- 
portant one,  that  by  one  and  the  same  object,  and  that, 
moreover,  an  inanimate  object  (in  this  case  the  ball),  are 
perceived,  and  as  it  were  made,  many  kinds  of  objects,  and 
above  all  live  ones ;  from  which  follows  another  thought 
that  objects  are  brought  before  the  child  by  words  here 
(as  also  indeed  in  life)  which  it  has  not  yet  even  once 
seen ;  which  are  not  to  be  found  at  all  in  its  neighbor- 
hood. 

Yet  this  might  appear  inadmissible  to  many  a  one  who 
has  not  yet  deeply  and  universally  enough  entered  into 
the  course  of  development  of  the  child's  life  and  its  con- 
ditions, although  we  have  already  pointed  out  its  existence 
in  the  nature  and  life  of  the  child.  We  will  therefore 
briefly  justify  this  procedure,  without,  however,  penetrating 
deeply  into  human  nature,  in  which  it  could  be  very 
easily  demonstrated  as  necessary  and  as  required ;  but  this 
is  not  the  place  for  it.  At  some  time  the  anticipation  and 
thus  the  inner  recognition  of  the  special  and  the  general, 
will  be  unfolded  to  the  child.  But  this  takes  place  when, 
as  already  remarked,  the  opposites,  having  yet  some  simi- 
larity, are  compared  with  one  another.  Then  also  the 
fewer  special  similarities  and  qualities  that  the  means  of 
perception  or  the  object  used  to  play  with  has  with  the 
presented  object  (which,  of  course,  must  be  connected  by 
preceding  connecting  links),  the  more  skilled  the  child  be- 


THE  BALL.  49 

comes  thereby;  he  now  considers  the  actual  object  in 
order  to  obtain  a  clear  impression  of  it  and  of  its  special 
qualities,  so  as  to  rise  from  the  perception  of  the  object 
to  that  of  its  kind,  and  from  the  perception  of  the  kind 
to  that  of  its  species,  etc. 

The  second  remark  is,  that  objects  are  here  brought 
before  the  child  which  indeed  the  playing  adult  has  seen, 
but  which  as  yet  the  playing  child  has  not  seen  at  all. 
Though  this  is  not  to  be  scrupulously  avoided,  as  little  is 
it  to  be  thoughtlessly  carried  too  far ;  kept  within  right 
limits  it  justifies  itself  to  any  simple  and  straightforward 
mind.  The  life  and  the  course  of  development  of  the 
human  being  and  the  laws  of  this  development  make  this 
repeat  itself  with  the  most  developed  man,  for,  as  man  is 
a  being  destined  to  attain  increasing  consciousness,  so  he 
is  also  to  become  and  be  a  reasoning  and  judging  being. 
Besides,  man  has  a  peculiar  presaging  power  of  imagina- 
tion, as  indeed  also — what  must  never  be  forgotten,  but 
always  kept  in  view  as  important  and  guiding — the  new- 
born child  is  not  merely  to  become  a  man,  hut  the  man 
already  appears  and  indeed  is  in  the  child  with  all  his 
talents  and  the  unity  of  his  nature. 

Objects  not  yet  seen  in  life  by  the  child  may  therefore 
be  introduced  to  him  through  word  and  playthings  that 
represent  these  objects,  but  with  the  following  restric- 
tion: this  introduction  (as,  for  example,  in  the  preced- 
ing pages,  of  the  squirrel)  ought  not  to  take  place  before 
the  child — who  is  through  frequent  repetition  quite  fa- 
miliar with  the  object,  near,  already  often  seen,  and 
always  possible  to  be  seen  again  (for  example,  the  kitten) 
— in  the  qualities  of  the  personifying  object  (here  of 
the  ball),  has  recognized  the  qualities  of  the  personified 
object  (here  of  the  kitten),  and  likewise  has  seen  in  and 


50  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

through  the  first  (the  ball)  the  second  (the  kitten) ;  has 
learned  to  represent  it,  for  example,  by  the  jumping. 
Now  the  child  has  also  noticed  the  climbing  of  the  cat, 
and  when  it  is  said,  as  above,  "The  squirrel  climbs," 
etc.,  the  child  quickly  comes  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
squirrel  is  a  living  thing  that  climbs.  This  is  enough  to 
excite  its  attention,  so  that  when  he  some  day  sees  a 
squirrel,  and  the  squirrel  is  named  to  him  as  such,  he  fixes 
his  eyes  upon  it  sharply,  and  perhaps,  indeed,  even  without 
hearing  its  name,  recognizes  it  as  such  from  this  quality 
and  other  connections.  This  is  a  sufficient  hint  for  the 
justification  of  this  childlike,  motherly,  and  (in  the  nur- 
sery) domestic  procedure. 

We  now  go  back  to  the  contemplation  of  the  ball  as 
the  first  plaything,  and  bring  into  prominence  as  essential 
the  fact  that  it  (being,  as  it  were,  the  representative  and 
means  of  perception  of  all  that  is  contained  in  and  rests 
in  itself)  offers  to  be  perceived,  produced,  and  handled 
only  the  fundamental  form,  as  it  were  the  rough  sketch  of 
all  which  can  present  itself  as  a  whole  and  can  act  spon- 
taneously as  such ;  so  that  several  of  the  phenomena  of 
the  ball — such  as  presence,  departure,  return,  seeking, 
finding,  getting,  catching,  grasping,  holding,  rolling, 
sliding,  turning,  etc. — can  be  represented  by  each  of  the 
said  objects  as  well  as  by  the  ball,  which  is,  just  on  that 
account,  such  an  excellent  and  attractive  plaything  for 
the  child.  But  though,  as  just  stated,  several  of  the  phe- 
nomena of  the  ball  can  be  represented  by  each  of  the  said 
objects,  this  is  not  the  case  with  all  the  phenomena — for 
instance,  the  multifariousness  of  movement.  For  this  rea- 
son, in  order  to  increase  the  powers  and  advance  the  devel- 
opment of  the  child,  the  plays  carried  through  with  the 
ball  are,  as  the  opportunity  or  the  demand  is  made,  given 


THE  BALL.  51 

in  part  with  other  objects — for  example,  an  apple,  a 
handkerchief,  a  ball  of  thread,  a  key,  a  nut,  a  flower,  etc. 
— and  these  objects  are  thus  brought  before  the  child  in 
various  kinds  of  activity.  But  the  ball  always  remains 
as  the  uniting  and  explaining  object,  and  thus  the  true 
means  of  connection  and  understanding,  and  the  very 
plaything  to  connect  the  child  with  his  nurses  and  his 
surroundings. 

If  the  child  is  now  old  enough  to  sit  alone  and  likes  to 
do  so,  and  also  to  creep  or  drag  himself  from  one  place  to 
another,  the  play  with  the  ball  can  be  essentially  and  effi- 
ciently extended.  Thus  a  quilt  is  spread  in  the  room,  the 
child  seated  on  it,  and  a  ball,  now  with,  now  without  a 
string,  given  to  him  for  his  own  spontaneous  handling. 
Also,  if  it  can  be  easily  accomplished,  a  ball  of  suitable 
size  can  be  fastened  by  a  sufficiently  strong  cord  to  the 
ceiling  of  the  room,  so  that  the  child  can  at  times  employ 
himself  with  swinging  himself  with  the  ball,  and  at  times 
can  raise  himself  up,  and  so  can  stand  by  means  of  it.  He 
will  thus  learn  to  hold  himself  more  surely  in  equili- 
brium, and  to  stand  more  easily  than  if  he  raises  himself 
up  by  a  body  which  stands  firmly — a  chair,  or  a  bench — 
which  does  away  with  the  necessity  for  him  to  maintain 
his  own  center  of  gravity ;  and  if  he  falls,  the  fall  is  less 
painful,  with  a  good  quilt  to  fall  on.  Yet  more  suitable 
is  it,  in  reference  to  the  child's  learning  to  stand,  that  the 
ball,  proportionately  increased  in  size  and  fastened  to  a 
strong  and  sufficiently  long  string,  be  given  into  the  hand 
of  the  child  seated  on  a  sufficiently  thick  quilt,  with  the 
directions  to  hold  it  firmly.  Now  the  attempt  is  made  to 
raise  the  child  higher  and  higher  by  means  of  the  cord 
which  is  fastened  to  the  ball.  The  raising  and  lowering 
will  please  the  child,  as  well  as  strengthen  the  muscles  of 

\ 


52  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

the  whole  body,  hips  and  thighs  especially.  If  he  is  thus 
raised  by  means  of  the  ball  and  string  to  a  standing  posi- 
tion, he  can  soon  easily  stand  independently. 

Here  is  now  the  point,  as  beautiful  as  it  is  important, 
where  the  life  and  activity  of  the  father  also,  at  times 
when  his  business  permits,  can  exert  a  fostering  and  de- 
veloping influence  on  the  life  of  the  child ;  and  the  ball 
here  again  appears  as  a  connecting  link  between  child  and 
father,  as  it  was  at  an  earlier  period  between  child  and 
mother.  The  child  in  the  father's  company  is  to  grow 
up,  as  it  were,  climb  up  to  him,  and  by  his  aid  is  to  steady 
itself ;  all  this  is  now  offered  in  manifold  shapes  by  the 
above  given  play  with  the  ball,  by  which,  in  order  to  ren- 
der it  again  prominent,  the  father  comes  into  his  right  re- 
lation to  the  child,  calling  out  his  strength,  etc.  (consid- 
eration, reflection),  but  also  using  and  thus  developing 
strength,  etc.  By  means  of  the  earlier  play,  especially  of 
that  connected  with  speech,  the  mother,  with  all  her  mild- 
ness, enters  into  the  life  of  the  child. 

So  the  first  play  of  the  child  with  the  ball  is  now  re- 
vealed in  its  nature  as  well  as  in  its  application  and  its 
general  effects.  Through  this  is  given  to  you,  dear  par- 
ents, for  your  child,  what  is  as  beneficial  as  it  is  impor- 
tant— the  means  for  his  constantly  progressive  develop- 
ment, from  the  first  activity  of  the  limbs  and  senses  up  to 
independent  sitting  and  voluntary  self-occupation,  and  a 
means  is  given  of  leading  toward  the  constant  fostering 
of  these  developments.  We  now  see  how  comprehensively 
the  child's  life  is  satisfied  by  the  play  with  the  ball. 

We  see,  in  proportion  as  the  first  child's  plays  which 
we  have  given  are  apparently  simple  and  transient,  as  they 
are  born  at  the  moment  and  are  dropped  again  at  the 
moment  and  supplanted  by  others ;  in  proportion  as  the 


THE  BALL.  53 

child  is  at  first  not  capable  of  receiving  them  in  their 
complex  details,  just  in  that  proportion  are  they  impor- 
tant for  the  unfolding  and  the  growth  of  the  child  in  all 
ways ;  for  since  we  are  thoroughly  penetrated  by  the  con- 
viction that  the  movements  of  the  young  and  delicate 
mind  of  the  child,  although  as  yet  so  small  as  to  be  almost 
unnoticeable,  are  of  the  most  essential  consequence  to  the 
whole  future  life  of  the  child,  therefore  no  perception  is 
more  important  for  the  child  and  his  future  life  and 
action  than  that  of  the  unity  of  all  manifoldness  and  that 
of  the  living  correlation  between  both,  and  these  two  per- 
ceptions are  shown  to  the  child  as  definitely  as  manifoldly 
by  the  ball  as  appears  from  what  follows. 

It  is  evident  to  the  child  that  all  the  various  plays 
proceed  from  the  single  ball,  and  that  all  in  their  phenom- 
ena refer  again  to  the  uniting  ball ;  they  make  known  the 
manifoldness  resting  in  the  ball,  which  is  itself  single ; 
they  proceed  from  unity  and  again  lead  back  to  unity.  In 
the  second  and  also  opposite  view,  the  play  is  considered 
from  the  child  outward ;  all  activity,  although  connected 
with  the  ball,  proceeds  definitely  from  the  child  (who  is  in 
himself  a  unit),  and,  although  using  the  ball  as  a  means, 
refers  to  the  child,  who  is  in  himself  a  unit.  The  child  is 
in  himself  unity  and  manifoldness,  and  destined  to  develop 
this  unity  and  manifoldness  by  the  surrounding  outer 
world ;  and  for  this,  also,  the  ball  serves  through  the  play 
with  it,  but  especially  by  its  individuality  and  its  proper- 
ties ;  for  the  ball  itself,  being  the  representative  of  all  ob- 
jects, is  the  unity  and  union  of  the  essential  properties  of 
all  objects.  Thus  the  ball  shows  contents,  mass,  matter, 
space,  form,  size,  and  figure;  it  bears  within  itself  an 
independent  power  (elasticity),  and  hence  it  has  rest  and 
movement,  and  consequently  stability  and  spontaneity ;  it 


54  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

offers  even  color,  and  at  least  calls  forth  sound ;  it  is  in- 
deed heavy — that  is,  it  is  attracted — and  thus  shares  in 
the  general  property  of  all  bodies.  Therefore  the  ball,  by 
its  fall,  by  its  quicker  movement  on  a  shorter  and  its 
slower  movement  on  a  longer  string,  leads  to  the  consid- 
eration of  the  most  important  phenomena  and  laws  of 
earth-life  and  the  life  of  Nature,  of  attraction  in  general, 
and  first  of  all  of  the  attraction  of  the  earth,  especially  of 
its  laws  and  limitations,  in  which  and  through  which  only, 
the  child  himself  lives  and  has  his  being  as  a  human 
dweller  on  the  earth,  since  he  lives  and  exists  only  through 
the  breathing  in  of  the  air.  Therefore  the  ball,  as  a  con- 
necting plaything  between  parent  and  child,  places  man 
in  the  midst  of  all,  on  his  entrance  into  the  world  and 
with  the  activity  of  his  limbs  and  senses,  in  the  midst  of 
all  phenomena  and  perceptions  of  Nature,  as  of  all  limita- 
tions of  Nature,  and  of  all  life ;  for  what  is  more  attract- 
ive than  life  ?  But  to  place  man  through  a  skillful  edu- 
cation in  the  understanding  of  and  in  harmony  with  Na- 
ture and  life,  and  to  maintain  him  in  it  with  consciousness 
and  circumspection,  can  not  be  done  too  early. 

Hence  the  ball,  as  we  have  already  seen  in  many  ways, 
is  a  bond  of  connection  between  mother  and  child,  be- 
tween parent  and  child — it  is  a  connection  between  the 
child  and  his  nearest  surroundings — and  thus  is  it  in  gen- 
eral a  bond  of  connection  between  the  child  and  Nature ; 
and  the  ball  connects  the  child  with  Nature  as  much  as 
the  universe  connects  man  with  God. 

As  now  the  ball,  by  its  individuality  and  by  means  of 
the  play  with  it,  places  man,  even  in  childhood,  in  the 
midst  of  the  life  of  Nature  and  of  all  life,  and  makes 
itself  perceived  and  felt  in  it,  so  in  like  manner  it  makes 
the  child  early  to  feel  and  find  himself  in  the  midst  of 


THE  BALL.  55 

his  own  life,  in  the  midst  of  his  perceptive  (feeling),  his 
operative  and  creative,  and  his  comparing  (thinking)  ac- 
tivity. The  ball  and  the  play  with  the  ball  lay  hold  of 
the  whole  man  as  a  child,  in  respect  to  his  body  as  well 
as  in  respect  to  his  mind  and  soul.  Thus,  in  order  to 
bring  forward  with  precision  one  phenomenon,  only  one, 
and  here  the  nearest  to  us,  which  has  been  mentioned,  the 
ball  (even  in  its  first  swinging  movement,  if  this  move- 
ment is  several  times  and  often  repeated,  and  by  the 
words  "  tic  tac,  tic  tac,"  the  child  is  made  to  notice  the 
movement  through  space  and  its  regular  intervals  and  re- 
member it)  has  an  exciting  effect  on  the  body  of  the  child, 
which  effect  is  expressed  by  hopping,  also  a  measured 
movement.  But  is  not  even  this  single  play,  developed  in 
harmony  with  the  whole  human  being,  important  for  his 
whole  life  ?  Is  it  not  even  the  dim,  how  much  more  yet  the 
developed,  feeling  of  the  correct  time,  that  is,  the  feeling 
of  tact  or  the  right  instant  at  which  to  exert  an  influence 
on  another  by  his  activity,  which  later  often  preserves  man 
from  so  many  disagreeable  experiences?  And  does  not 
this  depend  on  the  earlier  development  of  man  which 
always  remembers  what  was  opportune,  and  which  is  least 
retarded  when  it  finds  itself  in  harmony  with  the  oc- 
casion. 

The  movement,  on  the  contrary,  predominantly  full  of 
life  and  expression,  which  is  comprised  in  and  represented 
by  '*  bim,  bom,"  etc.,  acts  on  the  heart ;  this  fact  is  made 
known  in  the  course  of  the  development  of  the  child  by 
his  laughter  as  an  expression  of  the  arousing  of  emotions 
and  of  the  use  of  his  eyes.  Do  we  not  already  see  by 
this  how  beneficial,  melodious,  and  therefore  harmoni- 
ous, training  is  for  man  at  an  early  stage  of  his  being  ? 
But  the  movement,  more  suggestive  of  comparison,  com- 

\ 


56  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

prehended  in  and  represented  by  the  words  "  there,  here," 
acts  predominantly  on  the  intellect,  and  makes  itself 
known  in  the  course  of  the  child's  development  by  the 
imperfect  speech  connected  with  it  as  the  spontaneous  ex- 
pression of  the  child's  awakening  power  of  thought ;  and 
do  we  not  find  indicated  in  this  already  the  peculiarity 
and  requirement  of  the  human  mind  to  render  itself  in- 
telligible, to  clarify  itself  by  communication  with  others  ? 
As  now  each  of  the  single  plays  severally  considered 
lay  hold  upon  the  child  early  in  the  trinity  of  his  nature 
as  creating,  feeling,  and  thinking,  so  do  yet  more  the  play- 
ful employments  considered  as  a  whole.  The  attentive  ob- 
server can  easily  perceive  that  one  whole  series  of  the  plays 
belong  pre-eminently  to  the  actual,  external,  and  creative 
life,  or  at  least  refer  to  it ;  these  may  be  even  described  as 
useful  in  a  certain  point  of  view.  With  another  series 
of  plays,  each,  without  reference  to  anything  extraneous, 
suffices  for  itself,  because  an  inner  unity,  a  life  which  is 
in  itself  single,  appears  in  an  outward  manifoldness  which 
harmonizes  with  it.  The  representation  of  these  plays, 
through  which  inner  unity  (existence)  appears  in  and  by 
means  of  harmonious  variety,  and  shines  forth  from  it, 
as  it  were,  can  not  receive  a  more  significant  designa- 
tion than  beautiful.  So  in  the  third  series  of  plays  each 
single  play  is  likewise  only  attractive  to  the  child  in,  by 
and  through  its  various  relations,  properties,  and  connec- 
tions, each  of  which  has  been  already  suggested — indeed, 
indicated  inwardly — before  it  appeared  outwardly,  and 
therefore  before  it  was  recognized.  One  can  not  but  say  of 
these  plays  that  they  early  enchain  the  child's  attention 
on  account  of  their  truth,  though  unconsciously  to  the 
little  one  himself,  and  perhaps  unrecognized  by  him 
through  his  whole  life. 


THE  BALL.  57 

Thus,  without  bringing  out  from  the  mentioned  plays 
authentic  proofs  for  the  stated  series,  which  is  very  pos- 
sible to  a  thoughtful  consideration,  we  here  show  only 
how  directly  the  course  of  childish  employments,  to  which 
the  path  is  broken  by  the  first  child-plays  (which,  be- 
ginning from  the  ball,  advancing  constantly  according  to 
inner  laws,  is  now  to  be  pursued  uninterruptedly  in  the 
production  of  means  for  the  child's  employment),  early 
leads  the  child  to  a  harmonious  training  for  usefulness, 
beauty,  and  truth ;  and  how  means  are  early  given  to  the 
parents  to  attain  the  harmonious  cultivation  of  their  child ; 
we  are  to  consider  to  which  side  of  the  cultivation  he 
predominantly  inclines ;  since  one  excludes  the  other  no 
more  than  life,  art,  and  science  do,  so  man,  and  still  more 
the  child,  ought  not  to  be  educated  and  cultivated  one- 
sidedly  and  exclusively  for  the  one  or  the  other. 

The  cultivation  of  the  mental  power  of  the  child  in 
different  directions  is  also  attained  by  the  use  of  the  ball 
as  the  first  plaything.  The  child  learns  by  the  use  of  it 
to  keep  an  object  in  view  not  only  in  a  state  of  rest,  but 
also  in  the  changes  of  its  phenomena.  The  plays  carried 
on  with  the  ball  awaken  and  exercise  the  power  of  the 
child's  intellect  to  place  again  before  himself  an  object  not 
present  to  his  bodily  eyes,  to  perceive  it  inwardly  even 
when  the  outward  appearance  has  vanished.  These  plays 
awaken  and  exercise  the  power  of  representing,  of  remem- 
bering, of  retaining  in  remembrance  an  object  seen  for- 
merly, of  again  thinking  of  it — that  is,  they  foster  the 
memory. 

The  awakening  and  fostering  of  the  powers  of  the  mind 
to  compare,  to  conclude,  to  judge,  to  think,  have  been 
already  discussed,  and  every  observer  can  easily  see  how  by 
these  plays  the  powers  are  further  awakened  and  exercised 


58  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

in  the  child,  how  they  continue  to  develop  and  are  more 
and  more  formed  within.  Only,  we  must  remark,  what 
is  capable  of  demonstration,  that  this  most  delicate  growth 
of  the  mind  is  germinated  and  fostered  quietly  and  gradu- 
ally by  means  of  the  actions,  feelings,  and  thoughts  of  the 
mother,  and  by  means  of  her  love,  faith,  and  hope  with 
respect  to  the  child,  although  yet  so  imperceptibly  in  the 
child's  life  thus  connected  with  the  mother's — by  means 
of  the  ball  and  the  play  with  the  ball. 

We  see  the  human  being  as  a  child,  yes,  even  as  an 
infant,  placed  in  the  midst  of  his  life,  as  of  all  life,  by 
means  of  the  ball  and  the  play  with  the  ball ;  for  his  own 
life,  his  mother's  life,  his  father's  life,  and  the  life  of  all 
his  surroundings  become  to  him  thus  inwardly  vital  and 
jointly  objective,  as  the  life  and  the  love  of  the  mother  as 
become  one  and  objective  to  him  in  the  fullness  of  the 
mother's  breast  which  affords  him  nourishment,  which 
itself  appears  to  him  a  ball,  and  is  his  all. 

Again,  dear  mothers,  dear  fathers,  and  nurses,  do  not 
think  and  believe  that  the  child,  in  his  predominantly 
physical,  indeed  as  yet  quite  helpless  stage  of  develop- 
ment, is  not  susceptible  to  all  that  has  been  mentioned. 
You  err  deeply,  you  err  to  the  great  detriment  of  the  whole 
future  life  of  your  child  and  the  fruits  of  your  otherwise 
strenuous  care  of  the  child.  The  child  is  just  as  sus- 
ceptible to  it  as  the  kernel  hidden  deeply  in  the  earth 
in  darkness,  or  the  bud  on  the  tree  covered  by  hard  scales 
even  resembling  a  stone,  are  sensitive  to  the  return  of  the 
sun  in  spring  or  even  to  a  warm  but  evanescent  breath  of 
air.  He,  then,  who  does  not  already  perceive  and  foster 
consciously  and  circumspectly  the  traces  of  the  future  de- 
velopment of  the  future  life  of  the  child  when  still  hidden 
in  the  depths  and  in  the  night,  he  also  will  not  clearly 


THE  BALL.  59 

perceive  them,  nor  proportionately,  or  at  least  not  suffic- 
ingly,  foster  them  even  when  they  lie  open  before  him. 
Only  through  the  comprehension  of  the  connection,  as 
fervent  as  it  is  full  of  life ;  or  rather  of  the  eternal  trinity 
— of  the  invisible,  the  invisibly  perceptible,  and  the  visi- 
ble— is  life  itself  comprehended. 

But  one  thing  remains  for  us  to  bring  forward  in  the 
consideration  and  contemplation  of  the  plays  with  the 
ball :  this  is  the  definite,  clear,  and  legitimate  develop- 
ment of  the  child's  capacity  for  speech  in  the  progressive 
course  of  the  play.  As  the  child,  as  has  been  demonstrated 
in  many  ways,  is  placed  by  this  playing  in  the  midst 
of  Nature  and  of  life,  or  rather  finds  itself  buoyant  with 
life,  so  it  is  also  by  this  playing  placed  in  the  midst  of 
its  capacity  for  speech,  of  the  legitimate  development  of 
that  capacity,  or  rather  finds  and  quietly  unfolds  itself 
therein. 

A  few  hints  from  the  many  which  could  be  given 
and  clearly  presented  on  the  subject  must  here  and  now 
suffice ;  this  subject  will  be  later  taken  up  again  and 
treated  of  by  itself.  Here  on  that  subject  we  will  give 
as  hints  only  the  following :  The  language  which  accom- 
panies the  first  child-play  seems  to  be  clear,  precise,  full, 
significant,  simple,  and  yet  completely  satisfying.  Even 
the  first  words  of  it,  to  which  the  play  gave  rise  and 
which  the  child  discovered,  and  ever  anew  discovers,  con- 
tain the  whole  material  of  words — that  is,  in  these  words 
are  immediately  given  vowel  sounds,  open  and  closed 
sounds.  Each  appears  clear  and  distinct,  each  comes  forth 
pure  in  its  nature  in  the  childish  words,  bim,  bom  (boum). 
So  in  au  (aou)  are  defined  and  given  the  three  funda- 
mental voice  sounds,  a,  o,  u,  and  in  i  their  relating,  mid- 
dle, or  conclusion ;  and  thus  through  them  is  given  the 
7 

\ 


60  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

complete  compass  of  vowel  sounds  in  language.*  Also, 
the  compass  of  language  brought  into  employment  by  the 
play,  slight  as  it  appears,  embraces  the  whole  province  of 
language  proceeding  from  the  perception  and  comprehen- 
sion of  the  object  in  space.  The  words  used  are  mostly 
word  stems  or  roots,  and  from  them  develops  speech  full 
of  life,  regular  and  all-sided,  as  an  image  of  the  two  great 
worlds,  the  inner  and  the  outer  world. 

The  ball  gives  to  the  child  all  this,  and  many  another 
thing,  which  is  not  at  all  retained  by  word  as  an  outside 
phenomenon  in  its  individualities,  and  joins  itself  to  all 
as  the  first  childish  plaything ;  through  it  the  little  one 
develops  himself  ;  by  it  is  strengthened  in  the  unity  of 
his  nature  and  life,  proportionally  in  body  and  in  spirit. 
It  is  enough  that  in  the  first  plays  with  the  ball  the  life  of 
the  child  makes  itself  known,  and  the  outer  world  makes 
itself  known  to  the  child  in  unity. 

*  For  explanation  of  voice  sounds,  open  and  closed  sounds,  see 
Education  of  Man. 


I 


V. 

THE   SEED  CORl?^   AND  THE   CHILD.      A   COMPARISON. 

Let  us  look  at  a  seed  corn^  a  kernel ;  let  us  with 
thought  and  consideration  give  utterance  to  the  word 
hernel\  let  us  now  at  once  look  at  a  child ;  let  us  feeling. 
1}^  and  thoughtfully  utter  the  word  child.  Have  we  now 
expressed  less  in  the  word  child  than  in  the  word  corn  or 
kernel?  Have  we  perceived  less  in  the  child  than  in 
either  of  the  others  ? 

But  we  cultivate  a  kernel^  a  grain  of  corn,  just  on  ac- 
count of  its  innermost y  of  its  life  ;  though  that  life  exists 
in  it  as  yet  so  enveloped  and,  as  it  were,  so  veiled  ;  though 
the  form  of  life  hidden  within  it  be  invisible  and  unrecog- 
nizable. We  cultivate  it  that  it  may  unfold  before  us  its 
life,  its  nature,  in  forms,  unhindered,  with  force  and  spon- 
taneous action,  as  truly  as  perceptibly  and  as  beautifully  as 
powerfully.  We  remove  everything  from  it  which  might 
disturb  and  stifle,  or  even  only  unnaturally  check,  this  free, 
spontaneous,  independent  development  in  harmony  with 
the  whole ;  and  all  this  we  do  so  much  the  more  when  the 
kernel,  or  corn,  is  the  seed  of  a  plant  as  yet  unknown  to 
us  in  its  whole  nature — a  plant  from  another  part  of  the 
world,  which  only  very  few  men  are  fortunate  enough  to 
have  seen  in  the  glory  of  its  complete  unfolding. 

But  is,  then,  the  nature  of  man  and  of  humanity  less 
unknown  to  us  ?    Is  it  not  even  less  known  to  us  ?     But 


62  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

why,  then,  do  we  observe  the  human  child  far  less  than  the 
seed  corn  or  the  germ  of  a  plant  in  the  totality  of  its  de- 
velopment? Why  do  we  pay  him  less  attention  in  inward, 
uniform  coherence  with  the  collective  whole  of  Nature  and 
life  than  we  do  the  seed  corn  and  the  germ  of  the  plant  ? 
Is  it  then  to  be  supposed  that  in  the  human  child  the  ca- 
pacity, the  talent  for  becoming  a  whole  complete  human 
being,  is  contained  less  than  in  the  acorn  is  contained 
the  capacity  to  become  a  strong,  vigorous,  complete  oak  ? 
But,  as  the  germ  bears  within  itself  the  plant  and  the 
whole  plant  life,  does  not  the  child  bear  also  within  him- 
self the  whole  man  and  the  whole  life  of  humanity  ? 


VI. 

THE  PLAY  AND  PLAYING  OF  THE  CHILD  IN  HARMONY 
WITH  HIS  DEVELOPMENT  AND  WITH  THE  TOTALITY 
OF  THE    RELATIONS   OF  HIS   LIFE. 

As  the  child's  first  bodily  nourishment  must  be  and  is 
in  harmony  with  the  development  of  its  digestive  organs 
(intended  for  preserving,  strengthening,  and  unfolding  the 
bodily  life),  so  must  also  the  first  fostering  and  nourish- 
ment of  the  child's  soul  life  be  in  exact  accord  with  the 
development  of  its  bodily  functions — quite  especially  with 
the  development  of  the  organs  of  sense. 

As  rest  at  first  appears  as  the  expression  and  demand 
of  the  bodily  life,  so  movement  soon  appears  as  the  ex- 
pression and  demand  of  the  soul  life  of  the  child. 

As  the  bodily  requirement  of  the  child  is  at  first  a  soft, 
warm,  and  clean  place  of  repose,  and,  especially,  warm  sur- 
roundings, so,  soon  after  the  first  development  of  his  sense 
of  sight,  of  his  eye,  he  seeks  the  clear,  simple,  quite  gentle 
motion  of  a  bright  object,  and  keeps  his  gaze  fixed  upon 
it.  This  intimation  of  an  intellect  begins  a  few  weeks 
after  birth. 

As  the  mouth  of  the  child  in  its  infancy  is  especially 
adapted  for  sucking,  for  taking  in  the  bodily  nourishment, 
so  the  eye  of  the  child  appears  pre-eminently  adapted  to 
taking  in,  as  it  were,  the  mental  nourishment  which  is  at 
first  obtained  through  a  perception  of  the  motion  and  then 


64  PEDAGOGICS  OP  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

of  the  object  itself ;  as  the  mouth  takes  in  at  first  only 
the  fluid,  and  in  the  fluid  the  solid,  so  the  eye  at  first  per- 
ceives the  motion,  especially  the  motion  of  the  phenom- 
ena of  light,  and  in  and  by  means  of  the  motion  perceives 
the  object. 

Therefore  the  mother,  while  she  quietly  supplies  to 
the  child  the  tepid  milk  from  her  breast,  early  calls  his 
attention  to  what  is  light  and  shining,  to  the  moving 
and  movable  light  by  word  and  look ;  she  therefore  calls 
the  light,  "  the  little  light,"  and,  considering  it  only  in  its 
movability,  "  the  birdie." 

Who  does  not  know  how  very  early  the  mother-love 
interests  the  child  by  the  little  lights  by  the  Mr  die,  and 
also  by  the  mousie,  although  he  perceives  in  them  only 
the  appearance  of  light,  the  shining,  moving  in  space. 
So  children  at  a  very  early  age  would  enjoy  for  almost 
an  hour  looking  and  gazing  at  the  shining  moon  and  the 
starry  sky ;  indeed,  if  they  have  enjoyed  looking  at  the 
first  especially,  once  or  twice,  they  long  for  it  definitely  as 
soon  as  the  time  for  its  appearance  returns. 

It  is  certainly  important  to  consider  how  children, 
and  especially  little  children,  like  to  contemplate  the  sun, 
moon,  and  stars ;  for  this  is  the  first  and  genuine  begin- 
ning of  the  contemplation  of  Nature  and  of  the  world  to 
which  the  child,  the  human  being,  is  called  through  the 
fact  of  being  born.  In  general,  all  things  which  have  the 
star — the  radiate — form,  which  are  on  that  account  so 
commonly  called  "  little  stars "  by  the  child,  very  early 
enchain  it.  The  expression  "  little  star  "  makes,  there- 
fore, later  the  same  arousing  and  delighting  impression 
on  the  child  as  did  the  expression  "  the  little  light "  at  an 
earlier  period  of  his  life,  and  star-formed  flowers  espe- 
cially attract  his  attention ;  even  the  stars  of  the  sky  are 


PLAY  AND   PLAYING  WITH  THE  CHILD.  65 

placed  by  the  child  in  human  relations  to  himself.  As, 
for  example,  what  was  mentioned  in  a  previous  work 
(Education  of  Man),  that  a  little  child  who  could  only 
just  speak,  and  to  whom  its  mother,  one  clear  evening, 
showed  two  brightly  shining  planets  situated  toward  the 
east  and  very  near  each  other,  immediately  exclaimed  of 
its  own  accord,  full  of  joyful  astonishment,  "  Father  and 
mother  stars  ! " 

What  may  not  be  developed  in  the  child's  life  by 
means  of  this  childish  conception  if  it  be  early  and  ten- 
derly retained  ? 

But  we  return  after  this  apparent  digression  to  the 
stage  of  the  child's  development  with  which  we  are  now 
particularly  employed. 

At  the  same  time  with  the  organs  of  the  senses,  espe- 
cially those  of  sight  and  hearing,  are,  however,  soon  de- 
veloped also  the  organs  of  movement,  and  so  first  of  all 
the  arms  and  hands.  We  gave  therefore  to  the  mother — as 
the  expression  of  the  corporeal  movement  in  space  early 
comprehended  by  the  child  and  containing  in  itself  at  the 
same  time  unity  and  manifoldness— for  her  first  plays  and 
playing  with  the  child,  the  colored,  bright,  red,  green,  or 
yellow  ball,  as  it  were,  as  a  uniting  and  personifying  model 
body,  as  well  for  cultivating  the  perception  of  an  object 
as  such,  as  in  reference  to  rest  and  movement.  In  order  to 
make  obvious  the  unity  of  feeling  and  perception  through 
sight,  and  yet  also  the  separateness  of  both  through 
warmth  and  light  in  the  child,  the  ball,  in  itself  elastic, 
has  its  bright  color,  its  warmth-exciting  cover ;  for  through 
light  it  makes  itself  known  to  the  sight,  as  through 
warmth  to  the  feeling,  as  an  objective  phenomenon. 

The  first  impressions  of  the  soul — as  it  were,  the  first 
knowledges — come  to  the  child  in  the  first  plays  of  the 

\ 


e^  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

senses  by  its  own  activity  as  well  as  by  the  mother-love 
bearing  within  it  the  life  of  the  child  and  its  require- 
ments. These  first  impressions  of  the  soul  come  thus  to 
the  child  in  the  first  plays  for  the  senses  by  means  of  per- 
ception and  seeing,  and  by  means  of  coming,  staying,  and 
vanishing ;  by  means  of  change,  thus  also,  in  a  certain 
point  of  view,  by  means  of  early  dim  conceptions  of  se- 
quence, of  foundation  and  results,  of  cause  and  effect,  and 
thus  of  dim  comparison. 

From  the  examination  of  the  relations  of  mother  and 
child  in  corporeal  as  in  mental  life  appears  thus  clearly 
the  notice  of  the  facts  so  important  for  the  higher  hu- 
man life  and  for  the  higher  life  of  humanity,  that  love 
and  knowledge,  loving  and  recognizing,  stand  in  intimate 
interchange,  and  that  fostering  of  joint  life  is  the  union, 
the  fount  of  both. 

We  see  and  recognize  thus  in  the  first  phenomena  of 
the  child's  life  how  the  child  must  be  rightly  compre- 
hended, considered,  and  treated  from  his  first  expression 
of  life  (however  involuntary  and  without  definite  aim 
these  phenomena  may  appear  to  be)  in  the  progressive 
course  of  his  development  as  well  as  in  his  nature,  in  his 
relations  to  his  mother  and  to  his  nearest  surroundings, 
indeed,  in  his  relations  to  the  universe,  and  to  the  prime- 
val cause  of  all — to  God.  Carefully  observing  parents 
and  thoughtful  true  nurses  can,  by  looking  back  into 
their  own  lives,  find  how  such  a  careful  fostering  of  child- 
hood has  affected  the  development  of  their  own  lives, 
or  would  have  affected  that  development  if  it  had  taken 
place.  It  is  therefore  essential  that  parents  and  nurses, 
for  the  benefit  of  their  children  and  for  the  blissful  results 
of  their  efforts  to  educate  the  children,  should  recall  as 
much  as  possible  the  first  phenomena,  the  course  and  the 


PLAY  AND  PLAYING  WITH  THE  CHILD.  67 

limitations  of  the  development  of  their  own  total  life,  and 
to  compare  them  with  the  phenomena,  the  course  and  the 
limitations  of  the  general  development  of  the  world  and 
of  life  in  Nature  and  in  history,  and  so  seek  to  raise  them- 
selves by  degrees  to  the  recognition  and  perception  as  well 
of  the  general  as  of  the  especial  laws  of  development  of 
life ;  so  that  thus  the  guidance  of  the  child,  the  fostering 
of  his  development,  may  receive  in  these  laws  their  surer 
determinations  as  well  as  a  higher  and  firmer  foundation, 
the  true  foundation. 

To  the  manifold  course  of  development  to  be  seen 
everywhere  in  Nature  and  in  life,  to  the  course  of  the  gen- 
eral development  of  the  world  and  life,  correspond,  as  the 
guidance  of  the  child's  life,  his  employment  of  self,  the 
intercourse  with  him  in  general,  and  also  in  especial  the 
developing  play  and  playing  with  the  child  which  awak- 
ens and  promotes  the  life  of  the  child.  Thus,  in  the  pro- 
gressive course  of  his  development  the  man  perceives  life 
as  it  is  in  himself  and  in  many  forms  outside  of  himself,  so 
also,  as  a  child,  he  already  perceives  his  life  as  life  in  gen- 
eral in  the  play  and  playing,  as  in  the  clear  mirror  and  as 
a  child  finds  for  himself,  first  of  all  in  play  and  by  means 
of  playing,  an  educational  book  opened  for  his  observa- 
tion outside  of  and  around  himself,  and  speaking  to  him 
in  form  and  by  means  of  form,  so  also  does  man  at  a  later 
period  find  such  a  book  in  Nature. 

That  the  child  may  be  rightly  comprehended  and 
treated  in  all  his  relations  to  life  and  to  those  around  him, 
the  whole  intellectual  and  spiritual  condition  of  the 
mother  after  the  birth  of  the  child  is  changed ;  her  per- 
ceptions and  the  impressions  of  the  outer  world  are  al- 
tered as  well  as  her  bodily  condition.  This  enhanced 
spiritual  condition,  this  higher  and  more  earnest  gaze  of 

N 


68  PEDAGOGICS  OP  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

the  mother,  directed  especially  to  discovering  and  pene- 
trating, to  perceiving  the  individual  and  particular  in  the 
single  and  general,  and  vice  versa — this  condition  of  hers 
must  now,  pre-eminently  on  account  of  her  child,  be  just 
as  particularly  considered  and  consciously  fostered  by  her- 
self as  is  the  life  of  the  child,  and  in  constant  harmony 
with  it. 

When  the  starting  point  of  recognition  and  knowledge 
— viz.,  perceiving,  noticing,  and  observing — becomes  per- 
ceptible in  the  child  there  also  begins  in  the  mother  the 
power  to  penetrate  into  the  nature  of  what  is  first  revealed 
to  her,  and  its  effects  on  herself,  as  well  as  to  see  it  in  its 
various  and  close  relation  to  the  child,  and  to  act  in  con- 
formity with  this  view. 

Many-sided  indeed  are  the  observations  that  have  been 
made  by  others  on  the  physical  relations  which  bind  to- 
gether the  mother  and  child,  and  on  the  consideration 
and  fostering  of  this  joint  life ;  but  by  no  means  as  yet, 
and  still  less  when  we  consider  what  the  subject  requires, 
have  observations  been  made  on  the  consideration  and 
method  of  the  common,  reciprocal,  spiritual  life  between 
mother  and  child. 

By  observing  and  fostering  this  spiritual  reciprocal 
life  between  mother  and  child,  and  the  common  life  with 
Nature  and  all,  the  first  play  already  above  given  with  the 
elastic,  colored,  and  warm  ball  receives  also  its  deep,  true 
significance  and  its  corresponding  rank  in  the  occupa- 
tions. It  will  find  a  place  in  the  third  month  of  the 
child's  life,  and  may  even  begin  in  the  second  month  of 
its  existence,  but  will  take  its  place  in  the  fourth  month . 
as  a  definite  play,  and  then  go  on  for  a  long  time  through 
the  child's  life  in  manifold  development,  improvement, 
and  application,  as  has  been  previously  intimated. 


PLAY  AND  PLAYING  WITH  THE  CHILD.  69 

But  soon  such  a  simple  body,  alike  in  all  its  parts, 
with  its  regular,  more  quiet  movement,  no  longer  pleases 
the  child ;  but  rather  a  purely  opposite  body,  which  not 
only  quickly  and  unexpectedly  passes  from  a  condition  of 
rest  into  the  opposite,  and  thereby  also  makes  itself  espe- 
cially known  through  noise,  sound,  and  tone,  as  it  were 
through  speech,  will  now  more  enchain  the  attention  of 
the  child. 

Here  is  now  the  point  where,  as  the  play  with  the 
child  assumes  quite  another  form,  so  also  does  thft  play- 
thing itself ;  instead  of  the  smooth,  soft,  silently  moving 
ball,  is  employed  the  hard,  rolling  sphere,  and  the  cube, 
uniting  in  itself  more  outward  manifoldness,  and  so  more 
liable  to  produce  noise  by  its  movement  as  a  plaything  for 
the  child. 


VII. 


THE  SPHERE  AND  THE  CUBE.      THE  SECOND   PLAYTHING 
OF  THE   CHILD. 

(See  Plate  II.) 

During  the  second  half  of  the  first  year,  when  the 
child  begins  already  definitely  to  employ  himself,  the 
sphere  and  cube  will,  in  consequence  of  the  just-mentioned 
properties,  frequently  give  the  child  more  pleasure  than 
the  ball ;  only  the  child  will  also  retain  for  the  ball  as  his 
beloved  plaything  an  uninterrupted  affection. 

The  sphere  and  cube  as  solids  are  in  respect  to  their 
form  pure  opposites — that  is,  as  they  are  in  themselves 
similarly  bodies,  so  are  they  externally  opposite ;  thus  they 
are  opposite  yet  alike.  The  sphere  can  be  considered  as 
the  material  expression  of  pure  movement ;  the  cube  as 
the  material  expression  of  complete  rest.  The  [soft]  ball 
being  also  at  once  more  movable  [pliable]  in  itself,  ap- 
pears then,  as  it  were,  as  uniting,  connecting  both;  as 
one  can  easily  make  the  form  of  the  cube  perceptible  by 
a  not  too  elastic  ball,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  such  a  ball 
can  be  easily  brought  back  to  the  form  of  the  sphere. 

The  sphere  and  cube,  therefore,  in  their  oppositeness 
and  likeness  belong  together  undivided  as  a  play.  Sphere 
and  cube  contain  a  relation  to  one  another  as  unity  in 
singleness,  to  unity  in  manifoldness,  or  it  may  also  be 
said,  as  manifoldness  in  unity  to  unity  in  manifoldness, 


THE  SPHERE  AND  THE  CUBE.        71 

or  as  heart  to  intellect.  Since,  now,  these  two  tendencies 
in  the  development  of  the  soul  and  the  power  of  the  soul 
early  show  themselves  in  the  child,  so  are  the  sphere  and 
cube  also  to  be  given  to  him  unseparated  for  play — un- 
separated  although  alternately  brought  into  use  in  and  by 
means  of  the  play.  To  give  and  bring  the  two  separately 
as  playthings  and  in  play  before  the  child  who  is  to  be 
developed  intellectually  and  spiritually  would  be,  or  at 
least  appear,  as  if  one  should  separate  feeling  and  thought, 
sensation  and  discernment,  mind  and  spirit,  from  one  an- 
other, or  indeed  cultivate  one  at  the  expense  of  the  other, 
and  therefore  subordinate  the  one  to  the  other.  But  they 
must  be  cultivated  at  the  same  time,  and  they  belong  to- 
gether inasmuch  as  the  two  in  common  make  up  a  unity, 
or  rather  a  trinity,  if  taken  with  the  active  life  (the  repre- 
sentation or  the  deed) — that  is,  the  doing. 

We  have  already  recognized  and  stated  the  importance 
of  rightly  comprehending  the  child  even  from  his  first  ap- 
pearance on  earth  and  in  the  course  of  his  cultivation,  as 
well  as  in  his  nature  and  in  his  relations  to  his  surround- 
ings, especially  in  his  relation  to  the  world  and  to  God ; 
and  it  is  by  no  means  unimportant  for  parents  and  child, 
and  first  of  all  for  child  and  mother,  to  see  in  what  rela- 
tion the  child's  plaything  and  play  appears  to  himself,  to 
his  nearest  surroundings,  to  Nature,  and  to  God — to  all 
life. 

Peace  and  joy,  health  and  fullness  of  life  accrue  to  the 
child  when  his  play,  like  his  general  development,  is  in 
harmony  with  the  all-life. 

All  the  plays  and  employments  which  have  been 
planned  and  carried  out  by  us  with  the  second  gift,  and 
first  of  all  with  the  sphere  and  cube,  have  their  founda- 
tion, as  we  have  shown  in  the  case  of  the  ball,  in  the  effort 


72  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

to  satisfy  this  harmony,  and  to  meet  the  requirements  of 
all  that  has  been  intimated  in  this  reference.  There  will 
here  be  given  a  few  more  examples,  as  hints  for  the  use 
of  the  sphere  and  cube  as  the  second  plaything  of  the 
child.  They  are  connected  with  the  two-fold  phenome- 
non in  the  nursery,  or  rather  in  the  first  child -life,  that 
is  seen  when  mothers  and  careful  nurses  are  employed  in 
soothing  the  restless  child,  vaguely  striving  for  definite 
and  satisfactory  outward  activity,  and  hence  also  for  rest ; 
now  through  the  movement  of  the  movable,  now  through 
the  repose  of  the  stationary,  repeatedly  presented  to  the 
child's  senses. 

The  free,  constantly  circling  movement  early  gives  the 
children  great  pleasure,  and  truly  from  a  deep  foundation 
in  soul  and  life ;  but  it  appears  especially  clear  with  the 
sphere  when,  as  was  before  mentioned  in  respect  to  the 
ball,  the  sphere  is  constantly  made  to  move  round  in  the 
hollow  of  the  hand,  or  in  both  hands  held  closely  to- 
gether in  the  form  of  a  plate,  or  yet  better  of  a  saucer 
by  slow  constant  changing  of  the  center  of  gravity. 

But  the  sound  is  a  yet  higher  sign  of  life  to  the  child, 
as  he  then,  and  also  later,  likes  to  lend  speech  to  all  dumb 
things ;  therefore  he  also  desires  to  hear  sound  and  speech 
from  everything,  at  least  by  means  of  everything  and  at 
the  same  time  with  everything.  The  child  wishes  and 
hopes  unconsciously  to  himself  to  receive  through  the 
accompanying  word  and  through  the  simultaneous  tone 
knowledge  and  explanation  of  each  thing  and  of  its  life 
and  meaning,  especially  in  reference  to  himself  (the  child). 

We  have  therefore  attempted,  in  this  second  gift  of  the 
means  of  play  and  occupation,  to  indicate  by  movement 
and  word  this  connection  of  life  and  things,  the  reciprocal 
life  between  child  and  plaything ;  and  this  so  much  the 


THE  SPHERE  AND  THE  CUBE.        73 

more  as  by  using  the  gift  in  this  way  the  hearing  capacity 
of  the  child  is  generally  wholly  developed,  and  his  speak- 
ing capacity  begins  to  develop.  We  do  not,  however,  wish 
by  this  hint  to  have  it  understood  that  these  are  the 
best,  still  less  the  only  words,  that  can  be  employed  with 
change  of  moven^ent.  We  rather  believe  and  wish  that 
words  might  be  found  capable  of  being  sung  and  yet  bet- 
ter suited  to  the  end  in  view,  more  closely  uniting  the 
child  and  play,  yet  more  fully  comprising  the  life  of  the 
child  and  the  object  of  play,  and  that  such  words  may  be 
kindly  communicated  to  us  for  the  better  fostering  of  the 
child's  life  and  given  wider  circulation. 

The  sphere,  therefore,  as  above  stated,  moves  in  the 
hollow  of  the  hand  or  in  a  saucer.  The  motherly  feeling 
which  invests  all  with  life,  prompts  the  utterance  of  that 
which  the  mother's  mouth,  infusing  a  higher  life,  now 
sings  to  her  beloved  child,  lending  to  the  sphere  tone, 
speech,  and  song,  and  therefore  a  full  expression  of  life, 
as  if  it  were  an  actual  living  being,  thus : 

Around,  around ; 
How  happy  now  am  II 

Around,  around ; 
I  turn  now  full  of  glee. 
Be  happy  thou,  like  me. 

As  now  this  shows  the  constant  movement  of  the 
sphere  around  a  point  outside  of  itself  with  a  simulta- 
neous movement  around  its  own  center  (thus  a  double 
movement),  so  the  constantly  recurring  movement  of  the 
sphere  around  its  own  middle  line  or  axis  can  also  be  rep- 
resented if  the  sphere,  hanging  by  a  doubled  string  in  the 
left  hand,  is  quickly  turned  around  its  own  axis  by  the 
fingers  of  the  right  hand ;  the  doubled  string  is  in  this 
way  twisted  tightly  together,  and,  by  slowly  drawing  the 


74  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

two  threads  apart  with  the  thumbs  and  forefingers  of  the 
two  hands  and  again  letting  them  run  together,  the  sphere 
is  kept  constantly  in  an  alternating  movement,  now  to  the 
right,  now  to  the  left.  The  sphere  now  again  expresses 
itself  to  the  child  visibly  through  its  appearance,  but  also 
audibly  through  the  mouth  of  the  mother ;  this  audible 
expression  arouses  more  thoroughly  the  senses  and  life  of 

the  child : 

I  turn  and  wind,  and,  as  I  go, 
The  sphere  in  form  1  always  show. 

Even  these  two  simple  movements  not  only  make  a 
striking  impression  on  the  children,  who  are  as  yet  simple 
and  unspoiled,  in  the  second  half  of  the  first  year  of  their 
life,  especially,  as  already  observed,  toward  the  close  of 
this  year,  but  joyously  enchain  the  attention  and  rouse 
the  life  of  the  child. 

It  seems  thus  to  be  proved,  by  the  expressions  of  the 
child  even  at  this  age,  how  important  it  is  for  the  child's 
inner  development,  as  well  as  for  his  whole  life,  that  the 
deep  and  firm  impression  of  the  self-contained,  of  the 
in-itself -reposing,  be  made  upon  the  child  by  the  specta- 
cle of  the  sphere  in  the  most  different  positions — that  is, 
in  and  during  movement.  It  is  also  important  that  he 
should  perceive  very  precisely  and  definitely  the  difference 
between  sphere  and  cube,  since  it  is  quite  an  essential 
distinction  between  the  two  that  the  first  appears  always 
as  a  sphere  in  all  positions  and  with  the  most  various 
movements ;  while  the  second,  in  different  positions  and 
yet  more  with  different  kinds  of  movements,  makes  each 
time  an  entirely  different,  always  changing  impression. 

It  may  here  be  merely  mentioned  how  the  sphere  illus- 
trates, indeed,  almost  all  the  exercises,  plays,  and  percep- 
tions which  can  be  performed  with  the  ball ;  although 


THE  SPHERE  AND  THE  CUBE.        ^^ 

on  account  of  the  greater  weight  and  hardness  of  the 
sphere  very  many  of  the  exercises,  etc.,  are  more  definitely 
and  clearly  shown.  Also,  on  account  of  the  greater  noise 
and  the  other  properties  which  are  especially  connected 
with  the  rolling  plays  of  the  sphere,  the  play  with  it  be- 
longs yet  more  to  the  floor  of  the  room  on  which  the  child, 
sitting  upon  his  quilt,  can  even  now  already  employ  him- 
self more  independently  and  voluntarily.  So,  therefore, 
from  this  point  of  view  also,  the  sphere  forms  the  natural 
advance  step  in  the  series  of  playthings  which  corresponds 
with  the  advancing  development  of  the  child. 

As  it  was  now  assumed  and  set  forth  that  with  the 
beginning  of  the  play  with  the  sphere  even  the  hearing 
capacity  of  the  child  in  general  is  also  developed,  and  his 
capacity  for  speech  begins  already  to  unfold,  thoughtful 
mothers  and  nurses  can  enter  into  a  certain  reciprocal 
speech  with  the  child  by  definite  questions ;  for  example  : 

"  What  does  the  sphere  do  ?  '\    "  It  dances." 

"  But  what  does  the  sphere  do  now  ?  "    "  It  swings." 

"  Who  dances  ?  "     "  Who  swings  ?  " 

"  Shall  the  sphere  also  rock  ?  " 

Joyous  assent  takes  the  place  of  the  words  in  the  be- 
ginning, as,  on  the  other  hand,  joyous  expectation  and  de- 
termined desire  more  and  more  awaken  and  develop  the 
capacity  for  speech ;  and  so  it  is  highly  important  that 
the  fostering  and  the  watching  of  this  capacity  be  more 
and  more  definitely  and  consciously  drawn  out  with  the 
play,  and  especially  that  the  child  be  early  accustomed  to 
designate  correctly  and  precisely,  as  well  as  to  clearly  per- 
ceive and  comprehend  everything.  The  life  of  the  child 
will  through  all  this  become  so  much  the  more  a  symmet- 
rical life  developed  on  all  sides. 

The  cube,  as  the  pure  opposite  of  the  sphere,  replaces 
8 

% 


76  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

the  manif oldness  of  the  latter's  movements,  the  mani- 
foldness  of  its  use  in  play  (which  is  caused  by  the  facility 
with  which  the  sphere  can  be  moved),  by  its  [angular] 
form,  by  the  heterogeneousness  of  its  properties,  and  espe- 
cially by  the  new  ways  of  perception  into  which  it  inducts 
the  child. 

All  this,  however,  makes  the  play  quite  a  different  one, 
and  the  expression  of  the  play  is  likewise  different. 

As  the  cube  appears  to  be  the  several-sided  realization 
of  the  plane  surface,  so  also  it  requires  a  plane  on  which 
to  stand.  As  the  sphere  only  needs  a  point  for  its  sup- 
port, so  the  cube  requires  a  surface,  or,  what  is  the  same, 
several  points  which  lie  in  a  plane.  While  the  sphere  can 
be  easily  moved  by  the  slightest  touch,  the  cube  stands 
firm,  or  one  is  obliged  to  shove,  draw,  or  throw  it  to 
make  it  move  on. 

In  order  now,  in  the  beginning  of  the  play  with  the 
sphere,  to  make  this  oppositeness  between  sphere  and  cube 
perceptible  to  the  child,  who  is  now  instinctively  seek- 
ing the  perception  of  the  firm  and  unmoved,  the  mother 
now  places  the  cube  firmly  before  the  child,  and  says,  as  it 
were,  to  the  cube,  and  exhorting  it : 

There,  now,  stand  firm  ! 
Stand  firm  !  stand  firm ! 

(See  Plate  II,  No.  3.)     Or, 

We  want  to  see  you  ;  stand  still  and  calm ; 
You  may  trust  us  to  do  no  harm. 

We  consider  it,  as  previously  stated,  in  the  highest  de- 
gree important  that  this  co-operating,  peculiarly  inward 
harmony  between  the  child  and  the  surrounding  world  be 
early  produced  by  tone  and  glance ;  for  otherwise  the 
child  becomes  sooner  conscious  of  oppositeness  and  sepa- 


THE  SPHERE  AND  THE  CUBE.        77 

ration  than  of  mutuality  and  union.  But  all  opposite- 
ness  and  separation  should  appear  to  man  (for  the  found- 
ing of  his  peaceful  relation  with  all  and  the  increasing 
of  his  powers  of  action)  only  on  the  ground  of  original 
union,  as  development  and  methodical  arrangement.  This 
trust  which  leads  to  union  can  not  be  too  early  fostered, 
since  from  it  self-confidence  proceeds  at  a  later  period. 
It  must  be  the  task  of  all  educators  to  foster,  even  in 
earliest  childhood,  this  confidence  in  a  spiritual  as  well 
as  in  a  corporeal  sense,  in  accordance  with  the  whole  of 
Nature,  and,  indeed,  of  the  world. 

The  mother  now  takes  one  of  the  child's  fingers,  or 
one  of  his  little  hands,  and  tries  by  slight  gradual  pressure 
to  push  the  cube  away,  but  so  that  the  cube  does  not  move. 
The  mother  now  tries  to  make  the  child  notice  this  by  say- 
ing to  him  at  the  same  time  : 

The  cube  will  do  just  what  we  say, 
And  in  its  place  will  quiet  stay. 
Or, 

Yes,  the  cube  in  place  will  stay ; 
We  can  not  now  push  it  away. 

But  finally  the  mother  overcomes  the  gravity  of  the 
cube,  and  pushes  it  away  with  the  child's  hand  and  fingers, 
expressing  the  child's  feeling  by  singing  : 

Too  long  in  one  place  do  not  stay, 
But  let  us  now  push  you  away. 
Or, 

Do  not  too  long  in  one  place  stay, 
But  hasten  now  again  away. 

Here  is  now  found  the  application  of  what  has  been 
repeatedly  demanded — viz.,  that  as  much  as  possible,  and 
wherever  it  is  possible,  the  child's  strength,  although  yet 
feeble,  and  his  slight  activity,  be  drawn  into  the  play,  so 


78  PEDAGOGICS  OP  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

that  his  limbs  may  be  trained  into  use,  his  strength  be 
exercised  and  increased,  and  that  he  may  himself  experi- 
ence and  perceive  much  directly  by  means  of  and  in  his 
own  activity.  What  richness  and  what  manifoldness  of 
development  the  thoughtful  mother  and  careful  nurse  can 
now  arouse  in  the  child,  even  by  means  of  these  few  repre- 
sentations !  The  quiet,  firm,  sure  standing  on  a  relatively 
larger  surface  ;  the  filling  of  space  by  each  object ;  heavi- 
ness, which  is  expressed  by  pressure;  the  final  overcoming 
of  heaviness  (gravity) ;  and  the  possibility  of  moving  away 
the  body  by  the  use  of  a  proportionally  greater  strength. 
The  perception  of  all  these  and  many  other  facts,  show- 
ing themselves  merely  as  changing  phenomena  in  oft- 
recurring  repetition,  will  give  pleasure  even  to  the  child 
who  is  scarcely  half  a  year,  or  at  least  not  a  whole  year 
old,  especially  when  the  play  is  placed  in  intimate  con- 
nection with  the  child's  life,  and  with  his  impulse  to  ac- 
tivity. So,  for  example,  placing  the  cube  on  the  flattened 
palm  of  the  child's  hand,  and  singing. 

Cube  presses  down  your  hand,  my  dear ; 
Press  it,  or  it  will  fall,  I  fear. 

Or,  conversely  clasping  the  child's  hand  round  the  sphere 
or  cube,  and  holding  it  fast,  the  mother  raises  the  child's 
little  arm  thus  into  the  air  so  that  the  closed  hand  which 
is  soon  to  be  opened  is  turned  downward,  now  making 
him  remark,  in  any  childish  way,  the  holding  fast  by 
hand  and  finger  of  the  cube  or  sphere  as  she,  singing, 
says  to  him  : 

Your  hand  is  closed  the  sphere  (or  cube)  around, 
And  so  it  falls  not  to  the  ground. 

Now  requiring  the  child  to  open  his  hand,  when  the 
sphere  (or  cube)  drops  from  it : 


Or, 


THE  SPHERE  AND  THE  CUBE.        ^9 

Cube  (or  sphere)  to  the  ground  will  quickly  fall 
If  by  the  hand  not  held  at  all. 

The  cube  (or  the  sphere)  will  surely  fall 
If  not  held  up  at  all. 


These  plays,  or,  if  you  prefer  to  call  them  so,  these 
childish  trifles^  could  be  manifoldly  increased,  especially 
by  connecting  them ;  only  one  must  not  willfully  go  on 
with  this  or  that  play  in  opposition  to  the  wish  of  the 
child,  but  always  follow  the  child's  circumstances,  re- 
quirements, and  needs,  and  his  own  expressions  of  life 
and  activity. 

Here  a  phenomenon  from  the  childish  world  may  be 
preserved.  The  observer  of  children  will  often  perceive 
how  children  who  are  yet  very  small  would  like  to  grasp 
very  many  and  varied  things  together  in  their  little 
hands,  while  the  hand  is  too  small  to  be  able  to  clasp 
them  all.  The  mother  can  then  perhaps  sing  to  the  child 
in  reference  to  the  sphere  or  the  cube  : 

The  sphere  takes  up  the  space,  you  see, 
So  where  it  is  cube  can  not  be. 

Or,  about  the  cube  : 

The  cube  takes  up  the  space,  you  see, 
So  where  it  is  sphere  can  not  be. 

Or,  generally  : 

Each  thing  takes  its  own  space,  you  see. 
So  where  it  is  naught  else  can  be. 

The  words  place  or  position  may  be  sung  instead  of 
the  word  space,  in  order  to  secure  variety  of  sound. 

Also,  one  can  take  the  sphere  and  "cube  at  the  same 
time  in  both  hands,  but  changing  each  now  into  one,  now 
into  the  other  hand.  The  words  already  given  can  be 
sung  to  the  child  with  this  motion  also. 

\ 


80  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

We  now  return  to  notice  the  quiet  standing  of  the 
cube  on  one  of  its  surfaces  as  soon  as  it  has  been  placed 
there. 

This  play  will  make  a  wholly  different  impression  on 
the  child  (who  is  still  small,  though  already  somewhat 
advanced  in  ability  for  noticing  and  retaining  what  is 
extraneous  to  him)  if  we  try  to  place  the  cube  on  one  of 
its  edges,  and  the  cube,  set  free,  sinks  down  on  the  other 
side,  since  it  is  impossible  for  it  to  retain  the  middle  line, 
or  rather  the  vertical  plane. 

Word  and  tone  increase  and  confirm  the  impression 
on  the  child  if  the  attempt  and  the  notice  be  accompanied 
by  the  words,  for  example. 

It  totters  here,  it  totters  there, 
Too  heavy  to  stand  anywhere. 

(See  the  representation  on  Plate  II,  No.  4.)  It  is  diffi- 
cult, indeed,  but  not  impossible,  for  the  cube  to  stand  on 
an  edge  if  it  receives  anywhere  an  exterior  hold  or  sup- 
port ;  if  it — as,  for  example,  in  No.  5 — rests  with  one  of 
its  surfaces  against  another  surface,  and  so  through  fric- 
tion is  kept  in  place. 

Even  the  child  whose  capacity  for  speech  is  as  yet  un- 
developed will  remark  the  cause  of  this ;  at  least,  expe- 
rience has  shown  us  that  children  of  this  age  drew  away 
the  holding  support,  and,  as  the  cube  then  fell  over,  turned 
toward  their  mother  with  face  and  body  as  in  joyous 
triumph.  Therefore  the  mother  can  now  sing  to  her 
child  this  : 

Cube  can  stand  on  one  foot  if  the  right  way  he'll  try. 
Can  you  see,  my  baby,  the  real  reason  why  f 

Or,  the  cube  placed  on  one  of  its  edges,  and  with  one 
of  the  other  horizontal  edges  leaning  against  one  side  of 


THE  SPHERE  AND  THE  CUBE.        81 

the  cube  box,  or  something  else,  so  that  the  cube  now 
stands  perfectly  still,  the  mother  sings  to  the  child  : 

Lean  the  cube  against  the  wall, 
Then  it  surely  will  not  fall. 

But  the  illustrations  Nos.  4  and  5  may  be  connected 
with  one  another,  as  is  also  the  case  with  others. 

"  Come,  cube,  come,  stand  before  baby  on  one  foot." 
"  See,  baby,  it  will  not  stand."  And  now  again  singing, 
"  It  totters  here,  it  totters  there,"  etc.  "  Now,  cube,  hold 
fast,  that  you  may  not  fall." 

The  mother  gives  her  aid,  the  child's  activity  is  en- 
listed and  he  assists  her,  so  that  the  cube  finally  stands 
firm,  leaning  against  something,  and,  as  it  were,  thus 
clinging  to  it,  and  now  the  mother  sings  to  the  child  : 

The  cube  is  held  up  by  the  wall, 
So  it  stands  firm  and  does  not  fall. 

If  the  mother  will  attempt  to  enlist  the  feeble  activity 
of  the  child  with  her  own  in  the  play,  she  will  soon  see 
how  the  child  enjoys  his  work,  though  only  for  the  mo- 
ment ;  later  the  work  will  please  him  for  a  longer  time, 
and  will  finally  lead  to  the  quiet  individual  reproduction 
and  to  the  thoughtful  individual  consideration. 

But  now  the  child  again  quickly  grasps  the  cube  and 
beats  with  it  on  the  table.  The  mother  takes  up  at  once 
the  action  of  her  child,  and  the  effect  of  that  action, 
and  gives  word  and  tone  to  both,  since  she  adds,  speak- 
ing in  a  singing  voice  : 

Pound  !  pound  !  pound  ! 
By  his  pounding  cube  is  able 
To  make  a  hole  in  this  hard  table ; 
It  does  not  seem  to  feel  the  blow, 
So  to  another  play  we'll  go. 
N 


82  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

Among  the  many  positions  of  the  cube  which  the 
mother  can  make  use  of  in  playing  with  her  child,  there 
remains  one,  that  of  attempting  to  place  it  before  the 
child  on  one  corner  and  without  support ;  but  the  mother 
will  still  less  succeed  in  this  than  in  placing  it  unsup- 
ported on  an  edge,  and  she  therefore  sings  to  her  observ- 
ing child : 

On  one  leg, 

On  one  leg, 

Cube  can  not  be  made 

To  stand  without  aid. 

Now  she  allows  the  point  of  the  forefinger  of  her  left 
hand  to  rest  on  the  upward-turned  corner  of  the  cube, 
thus  keeps  it  standing,  and  says,  singing  : 

But  hold  it  with  a  finger  light, 

It  does  not  fall,  but  stands  upright. 

But  now  she  tries,  by  a  quickening  stroke  with  the  tip 
of  a  finger  of  her  right  hand  on  one  of  the  free  corners 
of  the  cube,  to  turn  it  round  on  its  own  axis ;  and,  turn- 
ing to  the  child,  proceeds  to  sing  : 

And  as  it  pleases, 

It  turns  round  about. 

Now  around  to  the  right. 

Now  around  to  the  left. 

Now  swiftly  turns  around,  around. 

Or  she  lets  the  cube  itself,  as  it  were,  speak  to  the  child, 
by  singing : 

On  one  leg  I  stand  ;  and  see, 

I  turn  round  so  easily. 

(See  the  illustration  on  Plate  II,  No.  6.)  It  is  not  in- 
tended that  the  impression  on  the  child  of  the  as  yet  in- 
comprehensible words,  and  the  variety  of  the  positions 
and  movements  of  the  cube,  should  be  without  abiding 


I 


THE  SPHERE  AND  THE  CUBE.        83 

results ;  it  is  always  to  be  remarked,  though  at  first  only 
after  oft-repeated  showing  and  perception,  that  the  child 
strongly  wishes  to  see  its  nurse  produce  now  one,  now 
another  position  of  the  cube ;  now  one,  now  another  of 
its  movements;  and,  indeed,  how  he  himself  at  a  later 
period  sometimes  attempts  to  produce  the  movement 
that  specially  interests  him. 

The  fact  has  been  already  brought  forward  above  that 
the  child  soon  notices  what  is  requisite  for  the  cube's 
standing  firmly ;  so,  too,  it  will  also  soon  remark  what  is 
the  condition  for  easy  movability ;  and  though  it  can  not 
indicate  these  by  words,  yet  the  mother  will  see  how  the 
child  at  first  tries  to  fulfill  the  condition,  to  give  the  right 
position,  and  then  to  make  the  corresponding  experiment. 
This  remark  is  founded  on  facts  in  the  life  of  children. 

Through  all  that  has  been  done  hitherto  the  child's 
attention  has  been  predominantly  called  to  the  object  as 
existing,  as  filling  space,  and  acting,  as  well  as  to  its  posi- 
tion and  to  the  manner  in  which  it  fills  space,  and  to  the 
mode  of  its  action,  but  only  incidentally  to  the  object  as 
being  the  identical  one  ;  nor  yet  to  the  figure  and  shape, 
nor  to  the  members  and  parts  of  the  object  which  ap- 
peared so  differently  in  the  different  positions  of  the  ob- 
ject. But  attention  to  the  form  and  figure  of  the  object 
can  also  be  utilized  for  the  child  in  play. 

The  importance  of  the  consideration  of  the  presence 
and  absence  of  an  object  and  its  utilization  for  play,  and 
in  playing  with  the  child,  has  been  already  noticed  (with 
the  ball,  see  first  gift).  With  this  we  will  now  add  a  con- 
tinuation to  the  play ;  for  repeating  the  same  experience 
in  different  ways  with  the  same  object  serves  to  develop 
as  well  as  to  strengthen  the  child.  Hence  the  mother 
hides  the  cube  in  her  hand  while  she  sings  to  her  child : 


84  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

I  see  now  the  hand  alone. 

Where,  oh,  where  can  cube  be  gone  t 

The  mother  thus  leads  the  gaze  and  attention  of  the 
child  to  her  hand,  which  he  will  therefore  watch  intently ; 
the  gaze,  and  even  the  little  hand  of  the  child,  will  make 
an  effort  to  find  the  cube.  As  if  yielding  to  this  effort, 
the  concealing  hand  opens,  and  the  mother  says  or  sings 

to  the  child  : 

Aha  I  aha ! 
My  hand  has  hid  the  cube  with  care, 
While  you  looked  for  it  everywhere. 

See,  it  is  here ! 

Look  at  it,  dear. 

By  this  play  the  child  is  not  only  again  made  to  notice 
that  the  cube  fills  space,  but  his  attention  is  also  called 
to  the  precise  form  of  the  cube ;  and  he  will  look  at  it 
sharply,  unconsciously  comparing  it  with  the  hand,  to 
which  his  eyes  were  first  attracted.  But  the  form  of  the 
cube  appears  to  him,  up  to  this  point,  as  too  large  a  whole, 
and  composed  of  too  many  kinds  of  parts ;  the  child's  view 
of  it  must  therefore  be  clarified  by  single  perceptions. 

Therefore  the  mother  or  nurse  clasps  the  cube  again 
in  her  hand,  but  so  that  one  surface  is  still  perceptible, 
singing  to  the  child  : 

Only  one  side  here  you  see. 
Where  can  now  the  others  be  I 

(See  Plate  II,  No.  7.)    Or,  bringing  the  child's  life  into  yet 
more  intimate  connection  with  the  expression  of  the  cube ; 
With  but  one  eye  cube  looks  at  you, 
And  kindly  nods,  "  How  do  you  do  f  " 

The  child  now  attempts  by  a  look  or  action  to  open 
the  mother's  hand,  and  she  sings  to  him  : 
Though  one  side  was  all  you  saw, 
Yet  my  hand  shut  up  five  more. 


THE  SPHERE  AND  THE  CUBE.        85 

Or,  in  reference  to  the  above-mentioned  second  percep- 
tion : 

Cube  wanted  so  much  to  please  you,  dear, 

That  from  its  hiding  it  came  out  here. 

Now  the  mother  again  incloses  the  cube  in  her  hand, 
but  lets  two  surfaces  be  seen,  and  sings  : 

Two  sides  are  all  that  here  you  see ; 
But  where  can  now  the  others  be  f 

(See  illustration,  Plate  II,  No.  8.)  Or,  while  the  mother 
takes  the  child's  hand  and  fingers  and  softly  strokes  the 
two  surfaces  of  the  cube  with  them,  she  sings  to  the  child : 

Stroke  cube's  two  cheeks  with  fingers  light, 
For  mother's  hand  now  holds  it  tight. 

And  now  opening  the  hand  : 

See,  my  hand  was  shut  round  four, 
Though  two  sides  were  all  you  saw. 

Or,  in  reference  to  the  second  perception  : 

Cube  to  my  baby  will  gladly  go 
As  soon  as  we  let  it  loose — just  so. 

Again  closing  the  hand,  and  turning  the  cube  in  it  so  as 
to  show  the  greatest  possible  number — which,  however, 
is  only  three — of  the  cube's  surfaces  at  once,  the  mother, 
while  turning  it,  makes  it  say  to  the  child  : 

I  twist  and  turn,  go  high  and  low. 
Three  sides  at  once  is  all  I  show. 

(See  illustration,  Plate  II,  No.  9.)  Since  misinterpreta- 
tions can  not  be  carefully  enough  avoided,  the  observa- 
tion should  be  made  that  the  expressions  of  number  are 
here  for  the  child  only  a  difference  of  sound  for  different 
appearances  of  the  object. 

By  means  of  the  above-mentioned  play,  now  wholly, 

% 


86  PEDAGOGICS  OP  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

now  partly  hiding  the  cube,  now  wholly,  now  partly 
again  showing  it,  the  child  will  receive  the  preliminary 
impression,  to  be  raised  later  and  at  the  suitable  time  by 
look  and  word  to  a  clear  perception,  to  a  complete  com- 
prehension of  the  cube,  the  normal  form  of  a  great  part 
of  all  that  is  solid  and  occupies  space. 

What  has  been  up  to  this  point  brought  forward  here 
in  a  certain  succession  will  of  course  in  the  child's  play 
and  the  events  of  the  nursery  and  at  the  children's  play- 
table  be  arranged  in  a  different  order,  and  so  it  should  be. 
But  mothers  and  nurses  should  have  within  them  the 
clear  perception  and  deep  consciousness  not  only  that  a 
definite  simple  law  exists  behind  these  varied  and  acci- 
dental plays,  and  makes  itself  known  in  them,  but  they 
should  also  know  ^vhat  law  thus  exists  and  how  it  makes 
itself  known.  The  child  of  humanity  intrusted  to  them 
for  his  holy  nurture  will  thus,  through  silently  verified 
perception,  through  the  strength,  action,  and  inner  co- 
herence of  the  mind,  come  (within  itself,  of  its  own 
accord,  and  at  its  own  time,  but  certainly  at  the  right 
time)  to  the  silent  premonition  that  behind  the  varied 
phenomena  of  life,  apparently  accidentally  thrown  to- 
gether, rests  quiet  and  hidden  the  great  law,  as  simple 
as  it  is  clear,  of  these  phenomena. 

Man  will  later  so  much  the  more  anticipate,  find,  and 
recognize  this  law  of  life  as  it  is  possible  already  in  child- 
hood, the  play  years  of  his  life,  and  indeed  by  this  play, 
to  bring  before  him  certain  perceptions  in  their  inner 
coherence,  in  order  thus  to  make  the  law  behind  them 
shine  through  them  more  brightly,  and  to  awaken  the 
premonition  of  this  law,  even  in  the  child  as  well  as  later 
to  awaken  premonition  of  the  law  of  life  in  the  more 
grown-up  man. 


THE  SPHERE  AND  THE  CUBE.        87 

The  previous  plays  with  the  cube  have  taken  it  up — 
including  simple,  passing,  unessential  movements  with  it 
— in  the  condition  of  rest,  as  already  mentioned  in  refer- 
ence to  its  space  and  form  ;  but  it  gives  the  child  yet 
more  pleasure  to  see  it  produced  in  its  freeer,  more  chang- 
ing movement. 

The  simplest  is  the  swinging,  and  this  too  in  the  first 
position,  where  one  surface  is  below  and  another  above ; 
in  other  words,  where  the  string  by  which  the  cube  swings 
is  fastened  in  the  center  of  one  of  its  surfaces. 

The  mother  lets  the  cube  thus  swing  slowly,  and, 
infusing  her  song  into  the  life,  the  attention,  the  feel- 
ing of  the  child,  in  order  to  bring  the  movement  near 
to  and  into  sympathy  with  him,  says,  singing : 

Swinging,  swinging ! 

By  my  swinging 

Pleasure  bringing ! 
Swinging,  swinging ! 

(See  illustration,  Plate  II,  No.  10,  and  compare,  in  respect 
to  position,  with  No.  3.)  Now  swinging  the  cube  in  an- 
other position — viz.,  that  in  which  one  edge  appears  as 
the  bottom,  and  another  as  the  top. 

(See  illustration  No.  11,  and  compare,  in  respect  to 
position,  with  Nos.  4  and  5.)  For  a  connection  with  life, 
as  before,  the  mother  can  sing  to  her  child  as  if  the  cube 
itself  were  singing  the  words  : 

Hung  by  one  edge  1  swing, 
Tied  to  a  long,  long  string. 
I  like  to  swing  just  here, 
Now  far  from  you,  now  near. 

oast  in  the  same  manner  swinging  the  cube  in  the 
third  position,  in  which  one  corner  is  indicated  as  the 
bottom  and  the  opposite  as  the  top,  the  longest  diagonal 

\ 


88  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

line  of  the  cube  appears  the  axis.  (See  No.  12,  and  com- 
pare with  illustration  No.  6.)  The  cube  says  to  the  child, 
through  the  mouth  of  the  mother  : 

Swinging  by  a  corner  so, 
Very  long  I  seem  to  grow. 

Attentive  nurses  can  here  easily  observe  how  even  the 
smallest  child,  for  whom  these  plays  are  intended,  with- 
out having  the  slightest  notion  of  the  meaning  of  the 
words,  perceives  the  difference  between  the  appearance 
and  the  real  shape  of  the  cube — that  is,  does  not  leave 
this  difference  unnoticed. 

It  is  early  important  for  the  human  being,  especially 
as  a  child,  that  the  essential  perceptions  of  things  should 
be  repeated  frequently  under  different  forms,  and,  if  pos- 
sible^ in  a  particular  order,  so  that  the  child  may  early 
learn  to  distinguish  the  essential  from  the  unessential 
and  accidental,  and  the  abiding  from  the  changing.  Un- 
noticed and  unrecognized  though  the  phenomena  are  to 
the  child,  yet  the  impression  of  them  will  be  certain  and 
firm,  and  this  so  much  the  more  when  the  repetition  has 
been  precise  and  clear. 

Twice  already,  therefore,  the  cube  has  been  brought 
before  the  child  in  this  manner  in  its  three  different 
and  essential  positions,  namely :  where  it  rests  on  a  sur- 
face (compare  Plate  II,  Nos.  3  and  10),  or  on  an  edge 
(compare  Nos.  4,  5,  and  11),  or  on  a  corner  (compare 
Nos.  6  and  12).  In  the  first  case  a  surface  transverse 
line  or  surface  axis,  in  the  second  case  an  edge-diagonal 
line  or  edge  axis,  and  in  the  third  case  a  corner  diagonal 
or  corner  axis  of  the  cube  comes  out  more  prominently 
than  the  others.  The  aim  of  the  subsequent  play  exer- 
cises is  yet  more  to  confirm  and  render  prominent  these 
perceptions. 


THE  SPHERE  AND  THE  CUBE.        89 

To  this  end  is  added  to  the  two  stronger  sticks  de- 
signed for  later  use,  a  third  thinner  stick,  which  can  be 
thrust  through  the  cube  in  each  of  the  three  principal 
directions  in  which  it  is  pierced.  Thus  the  stick  forms, 
first,  a  lengthened  surface  axis  of  the  cube,  extending  an 
equal  distance  beyond  the  two  parallel  surfaces.  While 
now  the  one  end  of  the  stick  rests  on  the  surface  of  the 
table,  and  the  other  end  between  the  thumb  and  the  bent 
forefinger  of  the  left  hand,  the  finger  tips  of  the  right 
hand  constantly  move  and  turn  the  cube  around  on  its 
axis  by  means  of  this  upper  end  of  the  stick.  The  cube 
showing  its  now  altered  appearance  owing  to  the  turning 
movement,  says,  as  it  were,  challenging  the  child : 

Round  and  round  now  make  me  go, 

I  to  you  a  roller  show. 

(See  Plate  II,  No.  13.) 

The  movement  itself  draws  the  gaze  and  attention  of 
the  child,  but  still  more  does  the  wholly  new  form  and 
figure  in  which  the  cube  appears  by  means  of  this  move- 
ment. It  is  the  turning  movement  around  its  own  axis, 
which  extends  the  corners  into  circular  lines,  and  the 
edges  into  a  cylindrically  curved  surface  ;  and  thus  says  : 

As  your  fingers  turn  me  here, 
Corners,  edges  disappear. 

In  the  same  manner  one  of  the  edge  axes  can  be  drawn 
out,  and,  as  it  were,  lengthened  by  the  stick,  since  the 
same  stick  is  thrust  through  the  cube  from  one  edge  to 
the  opposite  one,  and  then  the  cube  is  turned  around  its 
new  axis.     (See  No.  14.)     The  cube  sings  to  the  child  : 

If  round  and  round  you  make  me  go, 
A  pretty  ring  to  you  I'll  show ; 
And  if  you  like  this  little  play, 
I'll  play  it  at  your  wish  alway. 


90  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

Finally,  rendering  prominent  the  corner  diagonal  or 
corner  axis,  then  turning  as  before,  and  singing  to  the 
child  for  the  cube  (see  illustration  No.  15) : 

Turn  me  by  the  corners  two, 
Many  things  I  show  to  you. 
Do  you  like  this  turning  play  f 
Happy  are  we,  then,  to-day. 

In  the  preceding  play  the  cube  was  indirectly  set  in 
movement  by  the  hand  by  means  of  the  string  or  stick. 
But  the  cube,  like  the  sphere,  can  also,  hanging  by  the 
string,  be  put  into  a  rotary  motion  directly  by  the  hand. 
(See  Plate  II,  No.  16.) 

What  the  child  thus  notices  is  put  into  words  by  the 
mouth  of  the  mother  : 

In  turning  the  cube,  if  your  fingers  are  fleet, 

The  cube,  as  it  turns,  makes  a  round  ring  complete. 

Or  the  cube*  speaks  in  this  way  itself  : 

As  strongly  now  your  fingers  tap, 
I  gladly  turn  at  every  rap. 

If  the  double  string  by  which  the  cube  hangs  has 
been  twisted  sufficiently  tight,  the  player  lays  the  cube  on. 
the  table,  takes  with  each  hand  one  of  the  two  ends  of  the 
string,  raises  the  cube  from  the  table,  and  lets  the  string 
untwist,  accelerating  this  untwisting  at  the  same  time  a 
little  by  slowly  drawing  apart  the  two  ends  of  the  string 
^n  a  horizontal  direction,  so  as  to  keep  the  two  ends  tense. 

If  the  string  has  now  untwisted  wholly,  the  swinging 
of  the  cube  will  still  continue,  and  the  string  will  again 
twist  up  in  the  opposite  direction.  In  order  to  promote 
this  action  the  two  ends  of  the  string,  and  hence  the 
finger  tips  of  both  hands,  must  now  again  be  allowed  to 
come  close  together  till  the  string  has  twisted  itself  in 


THE  SPHERE  AND  THE  CUBE.        91 

the  opposite  direction.  But  when  this  is  now  accom- 
plished, and  the  cube  begins  to  turn  back  again,  the  slow 
horizontal  drawing  of  both  ends  of  the  string  must  also 
begin  again  ;  by  which  means  is  produced  a  constant 
twisting  and  untwisting,  a  constantly  alternating  turn- 
ing, now  to  the  right,  now  to  the  left,  which  can  be  con- 
tinued as  long  as  it  is  agreeable  to  the  child  and  to  the 
one  who  plays  with  it.  Therefore  the  mother  lets  the 
cube  express  by  words  what  the  child  perceives  in  the 
cube  as  appearance  and  action  : 

I  always,  always  turn  around, 
To  right  or  left  as  string  is  wound. 

(Compare  illustration,  Plate  II,  No.  2.) 

What  was  done  with  the  cube  hanging  by  the  center 
of  one  of  its  surfaces,  or  in  its  surface  position,  can  also 
be  done  with  the  cube  hanging  by  one  of  its  edges  or  in 
its  edge  position,  and  also  by  the  cube  hanging  by  one  of 
its  corners  or  in  its  corner  position ;  so  that  here  again, 
also,  by  a  constantly  alternating  rotary  motion,  the  cube 
is  brought  before  the  child  in  its  three  principal  points 
of  view,  as  was  further  shown  by  the  directions  for  the 
ball  play,  in  which  also  the  rolling,  gliding,  and  rocking 
movements  were  considered. 

Although  the  production  of  the  manifold  relations  and 
activities  in  general,  in  which  the  sphere  and  cube,  each 
by  itself,  can  appear  in  play,  and  as  a  plaything  for  your 
child,  is  now  concluded,  yet  it  by  no  means  exhausts  the 
number  of  illustrations,  which  also  are  not  exhausted  in 
the  directions  for  the  play.  Many  things  in  life  yet  re- 
main to  be  found  and  to  be  presented  with  reference  to 
these  illustrations. 

As  hitherto  sphere  and  cube,  singly,  have  been  em- 
ployed as  playthings  for  the  child,  the  two  can  also  be 
9 


92  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

used  together  in  several  ways  for  this  purpose.  We  men- 
tion here  only  one  of  these  combinations  as  the  most  im- 
portant— viz.,  that  the  cube  rests  with  great  difficulty, 
and  perhaps  never,  on  the  sphere,  but  the  sphere,  on  the 
contrary,  rests  easily  on  the  cube. 

This  latter  combination,  considered  as  abiding  and 
firm,  shows  something  quite  essential  —  viz.,  how  the 
sphere  alone  has,  as  it  were,  in  its  form  the  embodied  ex- 
pression of  the  easily  movable ;  and,  on  the  contrary,  the 
cube  alone  has  in  its  form  the  embodied  expression  of  the 
firm,  the  resting ;  so  both  appear  in  the  last-named  com- 
bination as  the  embodied  expression  of  the  animate,  of 
the  living  thing ;  and  of  the  living  thing  acting  spon- 
taneously, indeed  even  remotely  pointing  to  the  corporeal 
expression  of  man  himself. 

Early  in  life  the  child  delights  in  round  and  varied 
pebbles  ;  he  seeks  and  collects  them ;  he  takes  pleasure  in 
the  rectilinear  and  straight-edged  bodies,  especially  those 
which  are  cubical  or  beam-shaped ;  seeks  to  arrange  the 
former  one  upon  another  and  side  by  side ;  carries  and 
handles  the  latter  like  a  doll.  If,  however,  the  spherical 
is  joined  to  the  oblong  bpdy,  then  it  receives  immediately 
the  spatial  expression  and  the  significance  of  the  living 
being,  and,  in  fact,  of  the  human  living  being. 

I  will  venture  to  assert  that  it  seems  as  if  the  child, 
even  at  an  early  age,  dimly  anticipates  in  himself  the  na- 
ture and  the  destiny  of  man — to  analyze  and  adjust  in 
himself  and  in  life  the  opposites  of  the  abiding  and  qui- 
escent and  the  movable  and  moving ;  and  always,  while 
adjusting,  to  represent  them  in  life. 

The  connection  of  the  spherical  and  rectangular  has 
for  the  child  the  expression  of  the  human  so  much  the 
more  as  the  beam-shaped  body  in  its  derivation  proceeds 


THE  SPHERE  AND  THE  CUBE.        93 

from  the  cubical  and  rectangular  to  the  oblong,  tablet 
forms,  or  with  sides  sloping  toward  one  another  down- 
ward. But  with  the  delight  of  the  child  in  its  little  doll, 
the  dim  and  transferred  perception  of  inner  life,  or  rather 
the  direct  feeling  of  the  individual  life,  is  certainly  more 
predominant  than  the  external  perception  that  compares 
the  real  baby  with  the  doll ;  for,  even  if  the  child  has 
never  been  wrapped  in  swaddling  clothes,  and  has  never 
seen  a  child  so  wrapped,  it  will  yet  enjoy  its  infant  doll 
when  dressed  in  that  manner.  The  joy  of  the  child  in 
its  little  doll  has  thus  a  far  deeper,  inward,  and  spiritual 
human  foundation  than  is  generally  supposed — a  founda- 
tion by  no  means  resting  merely  in  the  external  resem- 
blance and  similarity  of  form.  Therefore  this  joy  of  the 
little  child  in  its  dolly  is  to  be  held  sacred,  and  thought- 
fully fostered.  Many  human  traits  develop  themselves  in 
the  child  by  its  play  with  the  doll,  because  thereby  its 
own  nature  will  become  at  some  time  objective,  and  hence 
recognizable  to  the  child  and  to  the  thoughtful,  observing 
parent  and  nurses.  Hence  there  makes  itself  visible  later, 
by  and  through  this,  the  spiritual  difference,  the  differ- 
ence of  vocation  and  life  between  the  boy  and  girl.  The 
boy  will  be  longer  delighted  with  the  play  with  the  sphere 
and  cube  as  separate  and  opposite  things,  while  the  little 
girl  is,  on  the  contrary,  early  delighted  with  the  doll, 
which  inwardly  unites  in  itself  the  opposites  of  the  sphere 
and  cube.  The  inner  significance  of  this  fact  is,  that  the 
boy  early  presages  and  feels  his  destiny — to  command  and 
to  penetrate  outer  Nature ;  and  the  girl  anticipates  and 
feels  her  destiny — to  foster  Nature  and  life.  This  comes 
out  yet  more  at  a  later  time.  As  the  union  of  the  spherical 
and  angular  is,  especially  to  the  girl,  a  doll,  a  play-child, 
so  is  the  mother's  yardstick  or  the  father's  cane  for  the 


94  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

boy  a  horse,  a  hobbyhorse ;  the  latter  expresses  the  manly 
destiny  of  the  boy,  that  of  invading  and  ruling  life ;  the 
former  expresses  the  womanly  destiny  of  the  girl,  the 
fostering  of  life. 

We  feel  ourselves  forced  to  ask  parents  and  nurses 
to  consider  in  this  way  at  an  early  period  all  phenomena 
in  the  life  of  the  child,  all  its  life  indications  in  reference 
to  its  innermost  and  spiritual  nature.  Happiness  and 
blessedness  to  the  children  with  whom,  and  joy  and  peace 
to  the  parents  by  whom  this  is  done  !  One  does  not 
reply,  How  could  such  contrasted  ideas  and  such  motives 
as  those  cited,  which  only  come  into  the  comparing,  con- 
sidering, mature  thinking  mind,  even  exist  in  the  child's 
dreamlike  condition  ?  We  here  repeat  once  more  what 
we  have  already  said  elsewhere.  Did  it  not  lie  in  the 
child,  did  it  not  live  and  work  in  the  child,  did  it  not 
already  define  the  child's  life,  it  could  by  no  means  come 
out  from  it  at  a  later  period.  Does  not  the  whole  tree 
life — indeed,  the  whole  vegetable  life — work  already  in 
each  germinating  seed  of  the  tree  ?  So,  also,  in  each 
active  child,  in  each  activity  of  the  child,  works  already 
the  totality  of  human  life — indeed,  of  the  life  of  humanity. 

We  must  stop  here  with  this  hint  concerning  the  sig- 
nificance of  the  connection  of  the  sphere  and  the  cube, 
of  the  spherical  and  the  oblong  angular  forms,  and  must 
keep  what  is  further  to  be  said,  especially  in  reference  to 
the  development  of  art  proper,  which  realizes  its  ideals  in 
corporeal  forms,  till  the  time  when  we  shall  speak  of  the 
doll  and  the  hobbyhorse  as  the  first  plays  of  the  awaken- 
ing life  of  the  boy  and  girl. 

After  this  digression,  though  it  is  only  an  apparent 
one,  we  return  to  the  play  with  sphere  and  cube,  which  is 
next  in  order.     Would  that  what  is  here  expressed  might 


THE  SPHERE  AND  THE  CUBE.        95 

contribute  to  realize  the  purpose  so  highly  important  for 
the  whole  life  and  the  clear  development  of  man — viz., 
to  consider  the  life  of  the  child  and  the  beginnings  of 
its  life  in  its  own  true,  deep  significance  and  subjectivity, 
as  well  as  in  its  relation  to  the  totality  of  life  ;  to  consider 
childhood  as  the  most  important  stage  of  the  total  de- 
velopment of  man  and  of  humanity — indeed,  as  a  stage 
of  the  development  of  the  spiritual  as  such,  and  of  the 
godlike  in  the  earthly  and  human. 

In  the  plays  which  have  been  discussed  the  cube  was 
mostly  introduced  not  only  as  speaking  itself,  but  also  as 
speaking  of  itself  to  the  child  ;  this  is  a  childlike,  true 
interpretation  of  the  phenomena  of  Nature,  reality,  and 
life,  according  to  which  each  object  speaks  constantly  by 
its  qualities  and  attributes  to  man,  and  still  more  to  the 
child,  although  in  mute  speech,  in  order,  as  it  were,  to 
link  its  life  with  that  of  the  child.  It  is  therefore  quite 
essential  for  the  outer,  and  especially  for  the  inner  spirit- 
ual and  intellectual  development  of  man,  that  the  sur- 
roundings should  speak  to  him  ly  their  qualities  and 
attributes  so  as  to  he  understood ;  and  besides,  that  man, 
as  a  child,  should  be  early  led  not  only  to  understand  this 
mute  speech,  but  even  to  make  it  audible  to  himself  and 
others.  Therefore,  the  careful  mother,  wholly  loyal  to 
her  human  feeling,  seeks  early  to  give  the  true,  the  com- 
prehensive expression  of  tone,  word,  and  song  to  this 
dumb  though  visible  speech,  and  the  same  is  done  by  the 
sympathizing  nurses.  The  mute,  quiet,  still  life  may  by 
this  approach  the  child  by  tone  and  speech,  so  that  he 
may  more  and  more  find,  feel,  and  recognize  himself  ob- 
jectively in  it.  And  so  his  play,  and  through  the  play  his 
surroundings,  as  well  as,  last  of  all.  Nature  and  the  uni- 
verse, may  become  to  him  a  mirror  of  himself  and  of  his 


96  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

life.  But  this  can  not  be  too  early  begun,  if  the  child, 
immediately  from  the  beginning  of  his  self-developing 
life  feeling,  is  to  grow  up  in  this  correlation  and  ex- 
changing comparison  with  Nature  and  life,  and,  indeed, 
with  the  whole  universe ;  and  as  he  impresses  his  life 
upon  external  forms,  he  may  so  also  perceive  his  life 
again  therein. 

It  is  quite  essential  for  careful  and  thinking  nurses 
to  consider  yet  further  (and  on  that  account  it  was  ren- 
dered prominent  with  the  ball  as  the  first  gift)  that  the 
sphere  and  cube,  and  the  expositions  of  them,  only  give 
and  are  only  to  give  the  norm  ;  only  the  normal  funda- 
mental and  symbolic  perceptions  and  representations 
which  can  also  be  symbolized  in  the  same  way  with  other 
objects  which  the  surroundings  of  life  offer,  and  can  be 
found  in  them,  should  be  found  in  them  and  be  explained 
by  them.  But  it  is  highly  important  for  the  human 
being  that  early  in  life,  and  even  as  a  child,  something 
normal  be  given  to  him,  as  it  were,  as  a  connecting  and 
comparing  measure  extraneous  to  himself  (in  reference 
to  himself,  to  life,  and  to  the  correlation  of  the  two), 
first,  in  order  that  he  may  recognize  a  generality  and  a 
unity  for  all  that  is  particular  and  individual ;  next,  that 
he  may  learn  to  judge  of  the  one  by  the  other.  For  it  is 
impossible  for  man  to  grasp  each  individual  thing  in  all 
its  relations.  They  do  not  all  alike  offer  themselves  fun- 
damentally and  on  all  sides  to  perception,  recognition, 
and  insight.  But  if  he  now  thoroughly  penetrates  and 
comprehends  one  single  thing^  he  will  through  this  at 
the  same  time  also  learn  in  a  measure  to  understand  all 
other  things.  Thus,  if  man  comprehends  fundamentally, 
and  in  all  its  relations,  for  example,  the  ball,  the  sphere, 
the  cube  (which  are  indeed  really  only  one  in  three),  as 


^H 


THE  SPHERE  AND  THE  CUBE.        97 

representative,  as  the  norm  and  fundamental  perception 
of  all  that  occupies  space,  and  of  what  is  given  and  de- 
manded thereby,  he  will  thus  become  capable  of  recog- 
nizing, observing,  and  handling  easily  also  all  other  things, 
even  that  which  stands  alone  yet  is  the  same  in  all  its 
bearings  and  relations,  for  he  learns  to  see  the  manifold 
in  the  single,  plurality  in  unity,  and  vice  versa. 

The  giving,  possessing,  and  retaining  a  normal  form 
which  is  as  simple  as  it  is  comprehensive  and  all-sided,  in 
which  he  can  easily  again  recognize  every  other,  is  what 
is  now  still  so  greatly  lacking  to  man  from  an  early  period 
on  through  life,  less  as  a  means  of  perception  and  instruc- 
tion than  as  a  means  of  all-sided  development  and  self- 
education. 

I  will  give  here  a  few  hints  as  an  indication  of  the  nor- 
mal character  of  the  sphere  and  cube,  and  how  the  different 
objects  surrounding  the  child  should  be  treated  accordingly. 

A  book  lies  on  the  table  before  the  child.  It  can  be 
laid,  now  on  one  of  its  two  sides,  now  placed  on  one  of 
its  shortest  edges,  now  on  the  long  edge.  In  each  of 
these  positions  there  are  now  again  three  different  posi- 
tions ;  as,  for  example,  in  the  first,  either  the  back,  the 
long  edge,  or  one  of  the  short  edges  turn  toward  the 
child.  Likewise,  if  it  stands  on  one  of  the  shortest  sides, 
either  the  back,  the  long  edge,  or  one  of  the  broad  sur- 
faces or  covers  can  be  turned  toward  the  child. 

To  each  of  these  positions,  as  to  every  other,  the 
mother  and  the  adult  who  plays  with  the  child  can,  as 
before,  now  immediately  give  speech  and  significance— 
for  example,  to  the  book  with  its  back  and  title  turned  to 
the  child : 

The  title  on  my  back  will  tell 
What  is  inside.    Look  at  it  well. 

\ 


98  PEDAGOGICS  OF   THE  KINDERGARTEN. 


A  rectangular  box  placed  on  one  of  its  corners  can  be 
turned  around  the  corner  diagonal  as  an  axis : 
You  must  on  one  corner  now  turn  as  I  will, 
For  quite  long  enough  on  the  ground  you  lay  still. 

So  the  thoughtful  mother  proceeds  with  all  that  she 
brings  near  to  her  child,  and  so  all  that  the  cube  united 
in  itself  can  be  again  perceived  separately  in  different 
objects  surrounding  the  child. 

So  smgle  perceptions  of  the  most  different  objects  can 
alternate  with  normal  perceptions  of  the  cube  and  sphere, 
as  is  given  and  required  by  life,  and  by  the  moment  at 
which  it  is  done.  And  again,  the  various  single  represen- 
tations taken  disconnectedly,  if  the  quietness  of  the  child 
permit,  can  alternate  with  the  carrying  out  of  regular 
though  small  series — for  example,  Nos.  7,  8,  9 ;  Nos.  3,  4, 
5,  6 ;  Nos.  27,  28.  The  child  will  always,  by  degrees  and 
in  the  progressive  course  of  its  own  development,  in  play 
and  by  means  of  the  play,  come  to  the  premonition,  per- 
ception, and  finally  to  the  recognition  of  unity ^  constmicy^ 
and  conformity  to  law — yes,  of  the  similarity  of  the  laws 
of  all  developmefit.  But  this  is  essentially  necessary  for 
man,  as  is  later  on  the  recognition  and  application  thereof 
in  his  own  life  for  the  attainment  of  the  aim  and  object 
of  his  life.  As  it  is  important  for  him  that  he  himself  in 
play,  even  as  a  child,  by  play  should  perceive  within  and 
without  how /rom  unity  proceed  manifoldness^  plurality, 
and  totality,  and  how  plurality  and  manifoldness  finally 
are  found  again  in  and  resolve  themselves  into  unity,  and 
should  find  this  out  in  his  life. 

The  representation  of  other  objects  by  the  sphere  and 
cube  has  indeed  been  already  connected  in  many  ways 
with  what  has  been  hitherto  brought  forward.  However, 
there  are  still  very  many  perceptions  which  there  was  no 


THE  SPHERE  AND  THE  CUBE.        99 

opportunity  to  mention  in  the  foregoing  pages.  So,  for 
example,  the  cube  can  be  now  a  table  on  which  some- 
thing is  placed  for  the  child.  .  Again,  it  can  be  a  stool  on 
which  the  mother  places  her  feet ;  again,  a  chair  on  which 
she  sits  with  the  child ;  again,  the  hearth  on  which  some- 
thing is  to  be  cooked  for  the  child.  Again,  it  may  be  a 
a  chest  in  which  something  is  inclosed;  now  a  bureau 
which  has  been  shut  up ;  now  a  house  with  its  door  shut ; 
again,  a  well  which  has  been  covered ;  finally,  a  stove 
which  has  been  set  up,  or  a  bale  of  goods  which  has  been 
unloaded.  Then,  another  time,  it  may  be  a  hammer  with 
which  something  is  to  be  struck  for  the  child ;  once  more, 
the  stick  thrust  into  the  edge,  a  broad  hoe  ;  another  time, 
the  stick  thrust  into  the  corner,  a  pointed  hoe  with  which 
a  little  bed  is  dug ;  finally,  a  child  which  turns  around ; 
a  little  girl  who  dances ;  a  kitten  which  wishes  to  catch 
its  own  tail.  Then,  again,  a  snowball ;  an  avalanche 
which  falls  from  the  roof  or  the  mountain ;  a  rock  which 
breaks  off  and  plunges  into  the  valley ;  or,  placed  on  its 
surface  with  a  perpendicular  stick  on  the  upper  surface,  a 
flower  pot  in  which  a  slender  little  tree  has  been  planted, 
and  innumerable  other  things. 

The  child  will  be  early  led  through  this  representation 
to  perceive  and  comprehend  one  thing  under  many  points 
of  view,  and  different  things  under  one  reference,  and  the 
common  and  general  in  and  by  means  of  different  individ- 
ual things ;  and  the  object  will  be  truly  dear  to  the  child 
by  the  variety  which  it  affords  to  the  child's  life,  mind, 
and  heart. 

Those  who  have  paid  attention  to  this  gift,  especially 
those  who  have  employed  it  with  the  children,  will  remark 
(what  we,  therefore,  also  can  not  pass  over  silently)  that 
it  is  actually  the  inner  union  of  mind  and  life  between 


100         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

mother  and  child,  between  the  child  and  his  nurse,  which 
gives  to  this,  as  well  as  to  all  and  every  play  with  the 
child,  the  true  life,  its  genuine  deep  significance  and 
genuine  efficiency,  which  bring  forth  buds,  blossoms,  and 
fruit  in  the  child's  life.  The  remark  can  not  escape  the 
thoughtful  mother,  that  it  is  actually  a  threefold  love  on 
the  part  of  the  mother  which  so  intimately  unites  her 
with  the  child,  viz.,  love  for  the  child,  love  of  the  means 
of  play  (the  united  life  in  and  with  the  means  of  play  or 
occupation),  and  love  for  the  great  life-whole,  of  which 
she  and  the  child  are  both  members.  In  reference  to 
the  varied  manifestation  of  love,  one  may  express  some- 
thing similar  on  the  part  of  the  child,  as  also  even  of  the 
object  of  play,  the  means  of  play,  the  latter  of  which 
may  be  thus  described :  The  means  of  play  awakens, 
fosters,  and  promotes  the  life  of  the  child,  thus  mutely, 
as  it  were,  making  love  known  to  the  child.  It  makes 
perceptible  the  life  and  love  of  the  mother  who  plays 
with  the  child ;  and,  lastly,  that  it  makes  apparent  its 
own  life,  and  so,  partially,  the  life  of  the  surrounding 
outer  world  of  which  it  is  a  self -active  member  (Glied- 
ganzes),  as  the  warmth  of  heart  and  life,  to  the  child 
which  is  made  glad,  joyful,  and  contented  in  play  and  by 
means  of  the  play. 

And  so,  as  an  inducement  to  the  consideration  of  the 
play  in  question,  and  of  all,  especially  of  the  earliest  child 
plays,  we  come  to  another  essential  remark  :  that  it  is 
actually  the  degree,  the  stage  of  the  all-sided  inner  satis- 
faction of  life,  mi7id,  and  heart,  attained  by  man,  which 
determines  the  keynote,  the  impress  and  character  of  his 
whole  future  life. 

Thus  inner  satisfaction,  especially  contentment  of  the 
mind,  is  to  be  early — yes,  very  early — confirmed  and  fos- 


THE  SPHERE  AND  THE  CUBE.       101 

tered  in  the  child  and  secured  to  him.  On  this  depends 
the  entire  future  with  its  weal  or  w«)e,  tjie  whole  future 
happiness  of  the  life  of  man,  in  so  fa^-as  It  i&interndl  aCnd 
therefore  genuine.  But  the  child  wiH  certainly, attain  this 
in  a  high  degree  if  treated  in  accordance  with  -bis  iainer 
most  nature,  if  the  child  sees  the  objects  surrounding  him 
treated  in  like  manner,  and  especially  if  the  surround- 
ing human  beings  show  themselves  consequently  satisfied. 
Thus  the  child  at  least  presages  and  feels  directly  the 
trinity,  or  the  reciprocal  conditioning  of  necessity^  law, 
and  love;  and  finds  later  the  one  in  the  other  and  by  the 
other,  as  the  true  condition  of  all  genuine  well-founded 
satisfaction.  So  now,  equipped  with  this  real  treasure  in 
the  heart,  man  can,  if  fate  should  demand  it,  even  in  boy- 
hood, and  yet  more  in  early  youth,  be  confidently  com- 
mitted to  the  world.  For  from  the  satisfaction  so  deeply 
grounded  there  develop  in  him,  and  through  the  satis- 
faction are  associated  with  him,  all  the  other  feelings 
which  bless  msm— faith,  love,  and  hope  ;  self-respect  and 
the  respect  of  others,  as  well  as  the  cherishing  of  others ; 
love  of  and  loyalty  to  life  and  vocation  ;  love  to  God,  to 
Nature,  and  to  humanity,  as  well  as  to  each  individual 
human  being  as  such. 

One  of  the  most  especial  and  essential  aims  of  these 
plays  is  to  foster  and  strengthen  this  satisfaction  early  in 
the  child — to  cultivate  it  for  the  stability  of  mind,  heart, 
and  life,  and  to  give  this  satisfaction  to  him  as  the  great- 
est gift  for  life  and  on  the  path  of  life.  But  to  attain 
this,  three  things  must  also  be  considered  here  in  the 
plays  as  well  as  in  all  dealings  with  the  child  and  in  all 
nurture  of  his  life-tendencies  and  his  tendency  to  activity 
— first,  that  it  is  to  be  done  for  the  strengthening  and 
purifying  of  the  child's  life,  thus  for  the  union  of  the 

\ 


102         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

child  with,  life  and  in  himself;  second,  that  it  be  done  in 
harmony  and  ^unipYi  with  the  means  of  employment ;  and, 
fi'ia4%j  thaVii  badone  for  a  higher  union  with  the  col- 
lective^ life^-.whole,  tfie  aggregate  and  totality  of  life,  and 
',".  thp  t';  jt ,  b,ear .  ih-e  detinite,  unequivocal  expression  of  all 
this.  What  we  called  love  above  appears  here  under  the 
expression  union. 

With  this  purpose,  therefore,  these  and  the  following 
childish  plays  (which  delight  the  child,  correspond  to 
the  intellectual  needs  of  the  adult,  and  harmonize  with 
life  and  Nature)  originated  from  a  loving  impulse,  and 
were  formed  in  order  early  to  foster  in  the  child  serenity 
of  thought  and  mind,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  early  to 
keep  surliness,  disobligingness,  and  a  gloomy  spirit  of 
destruction — the  tormenting  spirits  of  life,  with  their 
consequences — far  from  the  child.  These  tormenting 
spirits  are  given  a  domicile,  especially  where  the  child 
can  not  manipulate,  or  is  not  permitted  to  have  control 
over,  the  surrounding  objects  with  his  yet  weak  power ; 
where  the  child,  with  the  impulse  of  his  life  yet  unsatis- 
fied, is,  as  it  were,  stifled,  and  in  his  deathlike  weariness 
becomes  a  burden  to  himself ;  where  the  child,  feeling  the 
pressure  of  this  impulse  of  his  life,  appears  obstinate,  and 
even  domineering  and  spiteful.  One  can  not  too  early 
preserve  the  child  from  such  phenomena  of  life,  and  it 
certainly  can  be  done  by  a  correct  comprehension  and 
fostering  of  his  impulse  to  busy  himself. 

Since  the  play  with  the  sphere  and  ball  is  intended  to 
employ  the  child  from  the  beginning  of  his  second  to  the 
conclusion  of  his  third  year,  but  also  is  yet  further  pro- 
portionately and  correspondingly  to  employ  him,  so  we 
here  only  intimate  that  its  use  also  entirely  corresponds 
to  the  child's  capacity  for  speech^  and  the  course  of  his  de- 


THE  SPHERE  AND  THE  CUBE.       103 

velopment  of  speech  in  these  years.  It  contains  the  sim- 
ple words  up^  down,  there,  where,  how,  there,  here,  etc. 
Then  the  words  bond,  wall,  hand,  etc.,  which  all  lie 
within  the  compass  of  the  child's  present  capacity  for 
speech,  and  therefore,  as  they  are  clearly  spoken  before 
the  child,  can  be  exactly  imitated  by  him.  The  stock  of 
words  embraces  objects  and  also  actions  and  qualities. 
Indeed,  the  production  and  use  of  this  play  certainly  gives, 
in  connection  with  the  plays  of  the  first  gift,  the  ball,  a 
beautiful  point  of  support  to,  and  point  of  connection 
with,  the  equally  important  consideration  of  the  course  of 
the  development  of  speech  in  the  child. 


n 


VIII. 

FIRST   REVIEW   OF   THE    PLAY  ;     OR,    THE    MEANS   OP   FOS- 
TERING  THE   child's   impulse   T&   EMILOY   HIMSELF. 

Before  we  advance  to  the  further  development  of 
the  means  of  child  play  and  occupation  now  lying  before 
us,  and  before  the  variety  of  these  means  is  too  much 
divided  and  scattered,  it  appears  to  us  above  all  impor- 
tant once  more  to  see  precisely  what  has  been  up  to  this 
point  set  forth  in  words  in  this  connection.  For,  in  all 
to  which  man's  activity  lays  claim,  especially  in  human 
concerns,  the  clear  comprehension  of  the  unity,  as  it  were, 
of  the  nucleus  and  germ  of  life,  and  then  the  entire  com- 
pass of  its  variety,  plurality,  and  totality,  in  their  develop- 
ment from  unity,  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  life,  are 
above  all  important.  Therefore  we  stated,  even  in  the 
first  presentation  of  the  plan  of  this  undertaking,  that 
always  in  the  progressive  course  of  the  carrying  out  of 
the  plays,  their  inner,  vital  coherence  among  themselves 
as  well  as  with  the  life  and  course  of  development  of  the 
child  and  with  his  surroundings  (his  environment),  should 
be  also  shown.  Although  this  has  already  been  done  on 
each  occasion  in  detail,  yet  we  will  here  once  more  take 
a  comprehensive  survey  of  the  whole  in  general,  because 
it  is  in  the  highest  degree  important  for  the  healthy,  and 
particularly  for  the  spiritual,  development  of  the  child. 


FIRST  REVIEW  OP  THE  PLAY.  105 

and  for  the  clear  and  sure  fostering  of  his  life  as  a  whole, 
on  the  part  of  the  parents. 

The  first  object  through  which  we  sought  to  develop 
from  without  the  total  activities  of  the  child,  in  which  we 
sought  to  unite  them  externally,  was  the  ball ;  and,  in 
contrast  with  it,  as  fixed  forms  evolved  from  it,  the  sphere 
and  the  cube. 

In  and  by  means  of  the  ball  (as  an  object  resting  in 
itself,  easily  movable,  especially  elastic,  bright,  and  warm) 
the  child  perceives  his  life,  his  power,  his  activity,  and 
that  of  his  senses,  at  the  first  stage  of  his  consciousness, 
in  their  unity,  and  thus  exercises  them. 

By  the  sphere  and  cube,  on  the  other  hand,  the  child 
becomes  himself  yet  more  definitely  conscious  of  his 
senses,  and  also  especially  of  the  use  of  his  limbs,  exer- 
cising them  with  and  by  means  of  these  objects. 

The  ball  is  therefore  to  the  child  a  representative  or 
a  means  of  perception  of  a  single  effect  caused  by  a  single 
power. 

The  sphere  is  to  the  child  the  representative  of  every 
isolated  simple  unity  ;  the  child  gets  a  hint  in  the  sphere 
of  the  manifoldness  as  still  abiding  in  unity. 

The  cube  is  to  the  child  the  representative  of  each  con- 
tinually developing  manifold  body.  The  child  has  an 
intimation  in  it  of  the  unity  which  lies  at  the  foun- 
dation of  all  manifoldness,  and  from  which  the  latter 
proceeds. 

In  sphere  and  cube,  considered  in  comparison  with 
each  other,  is  presented  in  outward  view  to  the  child  the 
resemblance  between  opposites,  which  is  so  important  for 
his  whole  future  life,  and  which  he  perceives  everywhere 
around  himself,  and  multifariously  within  himself. 

But  now  as  man  both  unites  the  single,  which  finds  its 

\ 


106         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

limits  in  itself,  and  the  manifold,  which  is  constantly  de- 
veloping, and  reconciles  them  within  himself  as  oppo- 
sites,  there  results  also  to  the  child  from  both,  from 
sphere  and  cube  outwardly  united,  the  expression  of 
the  animate  and  active,  especially  as  embodied  in  the 
doll. 

On  the  one  hand,  the  child  therefore  demands  the  re- 
combining  of  the  separated,  the  reuniting  of  the  disunited. 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  he  also  demands  the  separation 
of  the  combined,  namely,  of  that  which  is  still  united ; 
therefore  the  child  tries  to  open  or  divide  everything. 
Therefore  the  sphere  and  cuhe^  each  of  them  divided  ac- 
cording to  its  infier  dimensions.,  will  be  the  necessary 
advance  shown  in  the  next  childish  plays  and  means  of 
employment. 

Yet  the  creating,  active  life  of  the  child  requires  that 
here  also  again  the  attempt  be  made  to  combine  and  unite 
the  divided  in  the  most  manifold  way  by  means  of  the 
child's  own  activity,  as  his  greatest  delight  consists  in  the 
quick  alternation  of  building  up  and  tearing  down,  of 
uniting  and  separating,  and  to  this  topic  we  shall  soon 
return. 

If  now  we  cast  an  inquiring  glance  on  the  forms  built 
up  and  arranged  together,  although  soon  torn  down  and 
separated  again,  we  shall  recognize  a  number  of  them  as 
forms  of  life  imitating  surrounding  life,  or  as  combina- 
tions to  produce  a  single  form,  and  hence  predominantly 
as  forms  of  beauty  ;  or,  finally,  that  they  are  connections 
and  representations  for  the  purpose  of  comparison  in 
respect  to  form,  size,  position,  etc.,  thus  predominantly 
forms  of  knowledge.  Hence  we  may  exhibit  our  results 
as  regards  these  plays  and  these  means  of  fostering  the 
impulse  to  activity  in  the  following  tabular  view  : 


FIRST  REVIEW  OF   THE  PLAY. 


107 


The  Ball 


The  Sphere 


The  Cube 


The  Doll 

(a  general  expression  of  the  active  or  living) 
both  sphere  and  cube  divided  in  accordance  with  the 
fundamental  dimensions  in  each  ;  and  each  independently 
again  united 

in  forms  of  in  forms  of 


t-l 

td 

W 

§•• 

1 

g 

«-< 

CD 

predomin 

antly  correspond- 

ing  to 

the  ] 

'eeling   and 

heart 

w 

p 
o 

CD 

crq 

CD 


predominantly  correspond- 
ing to  the  thought  and 
intellect 


of  the  child. 


10 


IX. 

THE  THIRD   PLAY   OF  THE   CHILD  AND   A   CRADLE   SONG. 
(See  Plates  in,  IV,  V.) 

Preface. — The  outward  employment,  the  child's  play, 
and  his  inner  world. 

It  has  indeed  been  stated,  even  at  the  beginning  of 
this  undertaking,  as  a  fundamental  truth,  that  the  plays 
and  occupations  of  children  should  by  no  means  be  treated 
as  offering  merely  means  for  passing  the  time  (we  might 
say,  for  consuming  time),  hence  only  as  outside  activity, 
but  rather  that  by  means  of  such  plays  and  employments 
the  child's  innermost  nature  must  be  satisfied.  This  truth 
has  indeed  been  before  expressed ;  but,  on  account  of  its 
deep  importance  for  the  whole  life  of  the  child  and  man, 
it  can  not  be  too  often  repeated,  too  impressively  stated, 
nor  can  its  truth  be  too  often  established  from  all  points 
of  view. 

Parents  and  nurses  !  we  must  unchangeably  hold  fast 
for  consideration  in  life  this  fact :  that  in  the  self-occu- 
pation and  play  of  the  child,  especially  in  the  first  years, 
is  formed  (in  union  with  the  surroundings  of  the  child 
and  under  their  silent,  unremarked  influence)  not  only 
the  germ,  but  also  the  core,  of  his  whole  future  life,  in 
respect  to  all  which  we  must  recognize  as  already  con- 
tained in  a  germ  and  vital  center — individuality,  selfhood, 
future  personality.     From  the  first  voluntary  employment, 


THE  THIRD  PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  109 

therefore,  proceeds  not  merely  exercise  and  strengthen- 
ing of  the  body,  the  limbs,  and  the  exterior  organs  of  the 
senses,  but  especially  also  development  of  the  heart  and 
training  of  the  intellect,  as  well  as  the  awakening  of  the 
inner  sense  and  sound  judgment.  We  stop  here  with 
the  development  of  the  heart  and  mind,  with  the  germ  of 
anticipatory  intuition,  of  sensation,  and  of  the  character 
therefrom  developing. 

Friends  of  childhood  and  humanity !  penetrating  ob- 
servers of  life !  must  we  not,  looking  around  us,  miss  only 
too  frequently  in  the  life  of  the  children  true  deeply 
grounded  and  firmly  rooted  love  and  respect  toward  their 
parents,  and  especially  toward  age  ?  Do  we  not,  when 
looking  around  us,  miss  only  too  often  in  the  children 
and  young  people  true  respect  for  their  elders  and  genuine 
love  for-  humanity  as  such  (apart  from  rank  or  position)  ? 
Do  we  not  repeatedly  miss,  with  pain,  in  the  mind  of  the 
child  and  of  the  youth,  trustful  respect  for  and  love  and 
cultivation  of  the  innermost  nature  which  abides  and 
acts  in  all  beings,  and  which  so  readily  reveals  itself  to 
the  quiet  perceptions  of  the  child?  It  is  called  indeed 
the  highest,  but  it  should,  more  comprehensively  for  child 
and  man,  be  called  the  deepest,  because  it  is  perceived  in 
the  depths,  in  the  innermost,  in  the  most  hidden  nature 
of  the  child  and  man. 

Do  we  not  too  frequently  (and  sadly)  miss,  in  the  life 
of  children  and  youth,  thoughtful  appreciation  and  trust- 
ful respect  and  love  for  all  which  we  call  holy^  or  which 
is  holy  9  Holy,  because  we  deeply  feel  and  clearly  recog- 
nize that  from  its  attentive  observance  health,  wholeness — 
that  is,  the  genuine  healthy  and  unviolated  state  of  the 
whole  man  (at  one  with  himself),  and  likewise  the  col- 
lective relations  of  life — would  proceed. 

\ 


110         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

Yet  we  must  openly  and  freely  avow,  as  trutli-loving 
and  upright  human  beings,  and  as  beings  devoted  to  the 
inculcation  of  uprightness  and  truth,  that  by  means  of 
the  above  remarks  we  have  comprehended  the  actual  life 
and  the  phenomena  of  life  in  their  deepest  roots. 

But  perhaps  for  that  reason  these  remarks  have  been 
also  made  by  others,  and  frequently.  This  consideration 
need  not  disturb  us,  for  we  immediately  go  further,  and 
ask.  What  have  we  to  do,  therefore,  that  it  may  be  dif- 
ferent, wholly  different? 

We  must  therefore  naturally,  above  all,  develop  in 
children  genuine  love  for  their  parents,  genuine  respect 
for  age,  the  respect  for  their  experience  and  judgment, 
which  is  originally  deeply  rooted  in  the  child,  and  love 
—yes,  yearning — for  a  share  of  their  knowledge.  We 
must  make  their  own  inner  life  and  its  needs  felt  and 
perceived  in  the  minds  and  souls  of  children.  We  must, 
by  creative  activity  in  the  outward  world,  make  them  at 
the  same  time  observant  and  active  in  thought ;  but,  on 
the  other  hand,  we  must  guard  against  making  them  in- 
wardly empty  by  superficial  scattering  abroad.  But,  now, 
how  is  all  this  to  be  done  ?  By  what  can  it  be  promoted, 
and  in  what  way  can  it  be  attained  ? 

First  of  all,  and  in  its  very  starting  points,  by  leading 
the  child  to  perceive  and  later  to  recognize  by  thought, 
although  by  no  means  as  yet  to  express  by  words,  in  the 
totality  of  the  outward  phenomena  around  him,  as  a 
single  fact  of  life,  but  especially  in  himself  as  a  vivid 
emotion  and  as  a  feeling,  that  "  my  parents  and  also  the 
grown-up,  experienced  people  around  me,  not  only  exert 
themselves  to  supply  the  outward  needs  of  my  life  by 
food,  clothes,  shelter,  and  even  by  means  of  exercise,  em- 
ployment and  play,  but  they  are  actually  anxious  also 


THE  THIRD  PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  m 

to  develop  my  powers  and  capacities,  to  foster  my  inner 
life,  to  fulfill  the  requirement  of  my  heart  and  mind. 
And  this  fostering  of  my  innermost  being  is  actually  the 
ultimate  foundation  and  aim  of  all  their  outward  care, 
and  stands  before  them  actually  as  the  single  aim  and 
ultimate  purpose  of  all  their  efforts."  TJiis  collective 
perception  as  a  feeling,  as  a  sensation,  is  certainly  as 
deeply  grounded  in  the  unspoiled  child  as  it  is  early  felt 
by  him ;  for  the  child  perceives  Ms  life  at  first  as  an 
inner  and  innermost,  as  a  single  and  individual  one. 
Parents  and  mothers !  nurses  and  human  beings !  the 
proofs  of  this  lie  speakingly  before  you  ;  only  observe 
them,  only  analyze  them,  only  read  them  and  study 
them. 

Mothers  and  fathers,  nurses !  is  it  not  almost  incredi- 
ble, does  it  not  arouse  great  astonishment,  to  be  obliged 
to  perceive  how  the  child  so  very  early — we  might  say 
even  with  the  first  weak  expressions  of  his  human  life — 
appears  to  distinguish  inner  intellectual  and  loving  gifts 
from  outer  corporeal  ones,  or  rather  to  be  conscious  of 
the  heart  and  mind  of  the  giver,  to  feel  the  giving  spirit  ? 
Who  does  not  see  this  in  the  effect  of  a  friendly  glance, 
of  a  sympathizingly  spoken  word,  of  a  tender  care  which 
often  affords  little  more  than  sympathy  and  companion- 
ship? 

We  certainly  refer  too  many  of  the  phenomena  of 
the  earliest  child  life  to  the  striving  after  physical  well- 
being  ;  whereas,  on  the  contrary,  something  spiritual  is 
the  cause  of  them.  Of  course,  in  the  child,  as  yet,  they 
flow  into  one  another ;  but  there  is  no  question  in  the 
healthy  little  child  which  of  the  two  ends  or  poles  is 
mostly  predominant  and  by  which  he  is  most  deeply 
aroused,  by  spiritual  or  by   merely  physical   influences. 

\ 


112         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

If,  for  example,  the  child  not  yet  two  months  old  longs 
for  his  cloak,  is  already  joyously  excited  when  he  sees  it, 
but  yet  more  joyously  when  he  sees  his  nurse  move  with 
him  toward  the  cloak,  take  it  up,  and  finally  put  it  on 
him — this  is  not  merely  in  order  to  be  more  comfortably 
carried,  for  the  child  desires  to  go  into  the  open  air,  he 
knows  already  the  door  which  leads  thither — he  wishes 
to  make  a  journey  of  discovery  into  the  world,  into  the 
free  Nature  which  offers  to  him  so  much  that  is  new. 
As,  too,  the  circumnavigator  does  not  take  ship  for  the 
sake  of  having  a  sail  on  the  ocean,  but  in  order  to  extend 
his  own  knowledge  and  that  of  mankind,  to  cultivate  his 
own  mind  and  that  of  mankind.  For  that  reason  the 
child  should  not  be  carried  past  the  surrounding  objects 
silently,  unsympathizingly,  and  regardlessly,  but  such  ob- 
jects should,  as  much  as  possible,  be  shown  to  him  from 
many  points  of  view  and  in  different  situations  and  rela- 
tions. It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  which  every  one  may  ob- 
serve, that  the  mere  love  for  the  outward  person  of  the 
child,  the  mere  bodily  care,  does  not  satisfy  him;  and, 
indeed,  the  nobler  the  child  is  in  his  nature,  and  the 
more  strongly  he  feels  himself  spiritual,  the  less  does  he 
cling  to  the  giving  person.  He  indeed  even  shuns  the 
one  who  merely  bestows  favors  on  account  of  his  exter- 
nal person.  This  phenomenon  deserves  from  parents 
and  nurses  many-sided  consideration  and  further  elab- 
oration. 

We  also  will  later  return  to  it ;  for  it  is  important 
and  indispensable  to  beneficial  education  to  seek  out  the 
phenomena  of  child  life  in  their  innermost  causes,  in  their 
most  secret  laboratory.  And  thus,. through  this  consid- 
eration, we  have  found  and  recognized  what  we  sought, 
namely,  that  the  respect  and  love — yea,  the  reverence — of 


THE  THIRD  PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  II3 

children  and  youth  are  gained  and  secured  to  parents  as 
well  as  to  elders  in  proportion  to  what  the  latter  are  doing 
for  the  education  of  the  mental  life  of  childhood  in  gen- 
eral. This  respect  and  this  love  are  gained  more  particu- 
larly by  the  fact  that  the  child  is  allowed,  according  to  his 
small  strength  of  body  and  mind  and  his  limited  capacities, 
to  develop  early  and  by  himself,  yet  free,  self -active,  and 
independent,  always  conscious  of  a  superior  protection 
accompanying  and  watching  him,  but  without  feeling 
the  external  hand  guiding  him.  For  the  simple,  good- 
natured  child  does  not  want  to  be  entirely  left  alone  and 
abandoned  to  himself,  but  he  wants  to  feel,  as  it  were, 
the  eye  and  look  of  the  faithful  nurse  always  about  him 
and  above  him,  really  always  near  him.  Would  that  you 
all,  beloved  parents,  might  succeed  in  fostering  this  feel- 
ing and  this  need  in  your  children,  and  in  making  this 
feeling  and  this  need  grow  up  in  them  and  invigorate 
them,  for  it  is,  I  might  even  say,  natural  to  unspoiled 
children  to  come  to  the  unity  and  fount  of  all  life — to 
God — by  means  of  their  own  life  with  their  parents ;  that 
is  to  say,  this  destiny  is  necessarily  postulated  in  theii 
nature  as  well  as  in  the  development  of  their  life. 

Hence  the  care  for  the  fostering  of  the  innermost, 
spiritual  life  of  the  child  must  begin  at  once  with  birth, 
and  must  be  directly  connected  with  the  care  for  his 
bodily  life.  It  must  give  higher  significance  and  sacred- 
ness  to  the  latter,  so  that  the  child  may  feel  and  perceive 
both  at  the  same  time  in  the  giver,  and,  consequently,  as 
I  have  already  said,  the  idea  may  early  come  to  the  child 
that  the  bodily  care  and  fostering  have  besides  the  outer 
meaning  also  a  deeper  inner  reference. 

We  must  therefore  with  the  deepest  earnestness  state, 
and  for  the  good  of  all  the  relations  of  life  demand,  that 


114         PEDAGOGICS  OP  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

the  careful  fostering  of  the  spiritual  inner  life  of  the  child 
begin  far  earlier  than  the  precise  effects  of  that  life  be- 
come outwardly  manifest,  and  before  the  inner  delicate 
sense  of  this  life  be  disturbed,  or  even  choked  up,  by  any 
kind  of  influence  from  without ;  for  the  inner  spiritual 
perceptions  of  the  child,  only  too  often  withdrawing  from 
our  notice,  are  usually  far  in  advance  of  their  outward 
manifestations  and  effects ;  therefore  it  is  frequently  much 
too  late  to  exert  spiritual  influence  on  the  child  and  man 
at  the  time  when  we  believe  ourselves  still  able  to  pro- 
duce the  effects  of  that  influence.  Parents  would  indeed 
later,  as  we  often  hear  in  life,  only  too  gladly  reawaken  by 
words  in  the  child  that  higher  human  sense,  that  sense  of 
love  and  respect  for  the  highest ;  but  how  can  the  out- 
ward inciting  word  help  and  fructify  when  the  feeling 
not  only  active  but  shared  with  others  is  lacking  as  a  fact 
of  life  inwardly  perceived  by  child  and  man  ? 

One  proof  of  all  this  is,  that  it  is  possible  early  to  ac- 
custom the  child  to  purity  of  heart  as  well  as  to  cleanli- 
ness of  body,  in  the  former  case  discovering  itself  in  feel- 
ing and  word,  as  in  the  latter  case,  in  bodily  appearance 
and  act. 

Thus,  first  of  all,  before  any  other  reflection  aroused  in 
him  from  without  come  to  the  child,  the  following  obser- 
vation as  the  sun  of  his  whole  future  life  must  shine  upon 
and  warm  him — the  reflection  that  "  the  fostering  care, 
the  development  and  formation,  the  realization  of  my 
inmost  life  as  a  whole  in  itself,  and  as  a  member  of  a 
greater  living  whole,  is  the  object  of  all  which  is  done 
for  me  from  without ;  of  all  which  is  done  for  me  by 
older  people,  and  especially  of  all  that  is  done  for  me  by 
my  parents."  If  now  the  lively  appreciation  of  what  has 
been  done  to  cultivate  his  inner  world  by  parents  and 


THE  THIRD  PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  115 

other  people  fill  the  soul  of  the  child  so  that  he  may  feel 
and  find  himself  at  the  same  time  a  whole  and  also  a 
single  member  of  a  higher  life  unity,  then  will  true  love 
and  gratitude  toward  his  parents,  respect  and  veneration 
for  age,  germinate  in  the  mind  of  the  child.  Then  will 
the  vivifying  anticipation  of  the  lovingly  pervading  unity 
and  fount  of  all  life  blossom  in  his  soul,  bear  imperish- 
able fruits  in  his  character  and  be  an  abiding  quality  of 
his  action.  It  would  be  a  sign  of  the  unnaturalness  of 
the  child  were  it  otherwise. 

To  assist  parents  and  children  to  obtain  these  highest 
gifts  and  blessings  of  life  is  the  single  and  innermost  aim 
of  these  plays,  of  these  means  of  employment.  To  the 
application  and  suitable  use  of  these  we  leave  the  busi- 
ness of  proving  and  the  manner  of  demonstrating  the 
same.  We  bring  forward  but  one  thing  more  as  essential. 
If  we  look  into  life  as  it  is,  we  see  how  the  heart  and 
inner  life  of  mankind,  but  especially  that  of  the  adult,  is 
now  further  from  that  of  children  than  ever,  and  more 
foreign  to  it.  And  this  is  principally  because  the  family 
life,  and  especially  the  life  with  the  children,  the  treat- 
ment of  childhood  and  youth,  is  no  longer  in  harmony 
with  the  attained  stage  of  insight  into  Nature  and  life  or 
with  its  requirements  for  the  development  of  humanity. 
But  now  man,  especially  the  adult,  is  to  feel  his  mind 
and  inner  life  again  approach  to  unity  with  the  life  of 
childhood  ;  so  the  union  of  life  and  mind  must  grow  forth 
anew  from  the  innermost  life  kernel ;  and  this  we  hope  to 
hasten  through  the  nurture  of  children  and  childhood 
here  advocated,  since  the  spirit  from  which  these  plays 
proceed,  and  in  which  they  are  carried  out,  is  the  spirit 
of  the  unity  of  all  life. 

It  is  true  that  to  the  first  of  these  plays  objection  has 


116         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

been  made,  and  it  has  been  pointed  out  as  an  imperfec- 
tion, that  in  it  the  child  may  appear  not  to  have  sufficient 
voluntary  action  outwardly  and  bodily.  But  much  of  this 
may  arise  from  the  fact  that  the  play  is  as  yet  only  known 
in  its  beginnings,  but  not  in  its  more  extended  use  and 
its  further  development.  But  then  it  may  be  considered 
principally  on  account  of  the  just  stated  more  compre- 
hensive view  of  the  too  dependent  and  too  closely  uniting 
life — by  no  means  as  not  corresponding  to  the  aim  of 
these  plays  if,  especially  with  the  first  of  them,  and  yet 
only  in  the  earliest  time  of  employing  them,  the  child 
does  not  appear  to  be  at  once  fully  and  separately  occu- 
pied bodily  and  outwardly,  but  the  adult  often  appears 
outwardly  more  employed  than  the  child.  For  just  this 
connecting,  outward  associated  activity  between  adult  and 
child  is  very  important,  in  order  that  thereby  the  associ- 
ated inner  life  between  them,  which  is  indeed  primordial, 
but  as  yet  slumbering  in  the  child,  may  be  aroused  and 
fostered.  Besides,  it  depends  first  of  all  on  the  suitable  in- 
citing and  fostering  of  the  mner,  spiritual,  voluntary 
self-employment  of  the  child  in  a  manner  corresponding 
to  the  inner  as  well  as  to  the  outer  world  of  the  child, 
and  to  the  nature  of  mankind  in  general,  in  order  to 
make  his  spirit  free,  but  not  on  account  of  the  merely 
outward  activity  of  his  body  and  limbs.  The  child's 
course  of  development  teaches  us  this,  since  the  child 
comes  to  the  free  use  of  his  senses  sooner  than  to  that 
of  his  limbs.  But  if  now  this  inner  spiritual  employment 
is  begun  in  the  child — is,  as  it  were,  born  in  him ;  if  he 
has  found  within  himself  even  in  its  first  germs  the  art 
(high,  indeed,  but  yet  lying  near  the  child)  of  employ- 
ing himself  in  a  manner  suited  to  his  inner  nature  ;  and 
if  he  has  discovered  by  and  in  himself  the  use  of  this  art, 


THE  THIRD  PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  II7 

then  follows  directly  through  it  the  art  of  outward  and 
bodily  employment  by  means  of  which  the  child  himself 
represents  and  accomplishes,  and,  indeed,  just  as  was  pre- 
scribed, proceeding  from  the  spiritual  and  referring  back 
to  it ;  and  thus  will  be  attained  the  object  which  is  the 
sole  one  in  the  fostering  of  childhood — viz.,  development 
and  vivification  of  the  inner  world  of  each  human  per- 
sonality, and  so  for  the  pure,  common  life  of  humanity 
in  mind  and  spirit,  and  for  the  innermost  union  with  all 
which  is  called  life,  therefore  pre-eminently  with  the  fount 
of  life,  the  unity  of  life  itself. 

If  now  in  this  way  even  the  two  former  play  gifts,  of 
which,  however,  the  second  was  only  partially  brought 
out  in  its  full  extension,  quite  essentially  contribute  to 
the  attainment  of  all  the  exalted  blessings  and  gifts  of 
life  above  mentioned,  and  indeed  to  the  foundations  of 
life,  this  occurs  more  variedly  in  the  third  play  gift  which 
we  here  lay  before  the  parents  and  friends  of  children  for 
use  and  examination.  Because  this  gift  includes  in  itself 
more  outward  manifoldness  and  at  the  same  time  makes 
the  inward  manifoldness  yet  more  perceptible  and  mani- 
fest. 

Let  us,  therefore,  first  of  all  hasten  to  place  ourselves 
together  in  the  children's  play-corner  of  the  family  room, 
or  at  the  play-table  of  the  nursery,  and  there  seek  to  dis- 
cover what  attracts  the  child  to  it  in  the  beginning  of  his 
employment  of  self,  or  rather  by  what  and  whither  he  is  in 
himself  attracted,  what  he  conformably  to  this  attraction 
would  like  to  represent  outwardly,  and  what  he  needs  for 
the  purpose.  Let  us  take  our  place  there  as  quietly  and 
as  unnoticed  as  possible,  observing  how  the  child  between 
the  ages  of  one  and  three  years,  after  he  has  contem- 
plated the  form  and  color  of  the  self-contained  body 

\ 


118         PEDAGOGICS  OP  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

which  he  can  handle,  has  moved  it  here  and  there  in  his 
hands,  and  experimented  upon  its  solidity,  now  tries  to 
pull  it  apart,  or  at  least  to  alter  its  form  in  order  to  dis- 
cover new  properties  in  it,  and  to  find  out  new  ways  of 
using  it.  If  the  little  one  succeeds  in  his  attempt  to 
separate  the  object,  we  see  that  he  then  tries  to  put  the 
parts  together  to  form  the  whole  which  he  at  first  had,  or 
to  arrange  them  in  a  new  whole.  We  see  that  he  will 
unweariedly  and  quietly  repeat  this  for  a  long  time. 

Thus,  after  comprehending  the  outside  of  the  object, 
the  child  likes  also  to  investigate  its  inside ;  after  a  per- 
ception of  the  whole,  to  see  it  separated  into  its  parts  ;  if 
he  obtained  a  glimpse  of  the  first,  if  he  has  attained  the 
second,  he  would  like  from  the  parts  again  to  create  the 
whole. 

Let  us  linger  over  this  expressive  phenomenon,  and  let 
us  seek  first  of  all  to  recognize  through  it  what  we  have 
to  furnish  to  the  child  from  inner  grounds  and  without 
arbitrariness,  as  a  plaything  for  the  next  play,  after  the 
self-contained  ball,  after  the  hard  sphere,  every  part  of 
which  is  similar,  and  after  the  single  solid  cube.  This 
is  :  something  firm  which  can  be  easily  pulled  apart  by  the 
child's  strength,  and  just  as  easily  put  together  again. 
Therefore  it  must  also  be  something  which  is  simple,  yet 
multiform ;  and  what  should  this  be,  after  what  we  have 
perceived  up  to  this  point,  and  in  view  of  what  the  sur- 
rounding world  affords  us,  but  the  cube  divided  through 
the  center  by  three  planes  perpendicular  to  one  another, 
as  the  third  gift  of  the  children's  playthings. 

The  Nature  of  this  Gift. — With  this  plaything  we  now 
begin  a  whole  series  of  such  playthings,  each  of  which,  as 
was  the  case  with  those  that  preceded,  necessarily  evolves 
from  the  preceding  one,  viz.,  the  series  of  cubical  rectilin- 


THE  THIRD  PLAY   OF  THE  CHILD.  119 

ear  solids  and  those  which  are  naturally  derived  from 
them.  The  principal  cube  appears  separated  by  the  men- 
tioned division  in  this  play  into  eight  equal  cubes.  The 
child  thus  distinguishes  here  as  a  given  fact,  and  without 
any  words  (purely  as  the  perception  of  an  object),  a  ivhole 
and  a  part^  for  each  component  cube  is  a  part  of  the  prin- 
cipal cube.  The  component  cubes  have  the  same  form  as 
the  principal  cube ;  thus  what  the  principal  cube  shows 
once  in  respect  to  its  form^  the  component  cubes  show 
together  as  often  and  as  repeatedly  as  there  are  cubes. 
This  is  uncommonly  important  for  the  child  as  a  strength- 
ening exercise  and  a  review  for  clearing  up  the  subject. 
He  thus  again  distinguishes  purely  as  a  perceptible  fact 
the  size  from  the  form^  for  each  component  cube  shares 
indeed  the  cubical  form  of  the  principal  cube,  but  not 
its  size.  However,  one  and  the  same  size  is  again  shown 
by  each  of  the  component  cubes,  hence  again  as  often  as 
there  are  component  cubes.  Therefore,  by  this  simple 
play  the  ahoye-mentioned  fundamental  perceptions,  whole 
and  part,  form  and  size,  are  7nade  clear  by  comparison  and 
contrast,  as  well  as  deeply  impressed  by  repetition.  The 
child  further  perceives,  as  a  fact,  position,  and,  what  is 
yet  more  important,  arrangement  (compare  Plate  III, 
No.  1)  ;  for  before  him  is  shown  an  above  and  below, 
an  over  and  under,  a  behind  and  before,  etc.  Hence, 
one  upon  the  other,  one  behind  the  other,  and  one  beside 
the  other,  etc. 

The  child  distinguishes,  as  a  perception  of  fact,  outer 
and  i7i7ier — indeed,  he  can  make  the  inner  outer,  and  the 
outer  inner.  This  important  perceptible  fact  is  shown 
to  the  child,  and  the  child  can  repeat  it  as  often  as  he 
pleases.  The  inner,  as  soon  as  it  becomes  perceptible  to 
the  organs  of  sense,  becomes  immediately  the  outer ;  the 

S 


120         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

inner  as  inner,  on  the  contrary,  can  never  really  be  per- 
ceived by  the  outward  senses. 

We  see  thus  already,  from  these  few  examples,  that 
this  simplest  of  all  the  playthings  which  contain  a  truth 
includes  in  itself  also  for  the  child  a  constantly  and 
progressively  developing  series  of  perceptions  suited  to 
the  increasing  inner  development  of  the  child.  We  shall 
yet  find  occasion,  in  the  course  of  the  exposition,  to  ren- 
der prominent  several  of  these.  For  the  longer  and  more 
profoundly  we  employ  ourselves  with  this  first  divisible 
plaything  in  child  life,  so  much  the  more  manifoldly  and 
symmetrically  there  unfold  themselves  in  it  the  properties 
and  nature  of  the  outer  world  in  exact  proportion  to  the 
capacities  of  the  child,  to  his  stage  of  inner  and  outer  de- 
velopment, and  to  the  degree  in  which  that  world  dis- 
closes itself  to  him.  And  this  plaything  appears  to  the 
child  as  a  key  to  the  outer  world — as  an  awakener  of  his 
inner  world. 

Let  us  consider  this  for  a  moment,  for  it  is  as  impor- 
tant for  the  comprehension  of  the  course  of  development 
of  the  child  as  for  the  recognition  and  comprehension  of 
the  outer  world. 

How  and  through  what  now  is  the  latter  first  of  all 
accomplished  ? 

By  the  use  of  this  gift  are  recognized,  comprehended, 
and  represented,  gradually  and  increasingly,  the  general 
in  the  particular  (for  example,  in  the  center  of  each  par- 
ticular cube  surface,  the  center  of  every  square  surface) ; 
the  most  general  in  the  most  particular  (for  example,  in 
a  particular  corner  poijit  of  the  cube,  the  point  in  and 
for  itself)  ;  unity  in  the  individual  (for  example,  in  that 
particular  cube,  the  properties  and  nature  of  bodies  which 
occupy  space) ;  the  simple  and  unital  in  the  various  and 


THE  THIRD  PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  121 

manifold  (for  example,  in  the  various  edges  of  the  cube, 
the  nature  of  the  line,  its  directions,  and  the  points  from 
and  to  which  it  is  drawn). 

But  now  how  does  this  gift  awaken  and  develop  the  in- 
ner world  ?  In  this  way,  that  by  means  of  it  become  percep- 
tible the  general  as  a  particular  (for  example,  the  straight 
line  as  one  particular  edge)  ;  the  single  as  an  individual 
(for  example,  the  point  as  such,  as  a  particular  corner 
point) ;  the  inner  as  an  outer  (for  example,  the  inner  prin- 
cipal dimensions  of  the  cube,  as  outer  edges)  ;  that  which 
is  felt  and  thought,  as  a  thing  which  has  shape  (for  exam- 
ple, the  whole  as  a  cube) ;  and  the  unity,  the  simple,  as  a 
plurality,  a  manifold  thing  (for  example,  each  of  the 
three  inner  principal  dimensions,  'dsfour  edges  which  are 
parallel  to  one  another)  ;  and  thus  the  invisible  beco7nes 
perceptible  in  the  visible. 

This  apparently  insignificant  gift,  the  first  in  the  series 
of  divisible  gifts  composed  of  parts,  corresponds  to  this 
high  demand  for  the  development  of  the  human  being, 
and  finally  of  humanity,  as  well  as  for  the  knowledge  of 
Nature ;  and  thus  through  both,  and  united  in  both,  for 
the  genuine  kiiotuledge  of  God.  But  as  its  fundamental 
form  is  not  only  rectilinear,  but  is  more  precisely  a  right- 
angled  parallelepiped,  the  plaything  shows  also  the  ulti- 
mate type  of  most  of  the  shapes  which  surround  the  child 
as  quiescent,  stable,  and  firm,  especially  the  ultimate  type 
of  structures  put  together  by  human  hand  which  stand 
in  their  substantiality  around  the  child.  Hence  this 
play  becomes  to  the  child  the  key  to  the  outer  world. 
But  this  play,  through  this  great  generality  of  form,  and 
the  capacity  of  its  parts  for  being  easily  put  together 
and  joined,  which  is  due  to  this  generality,  is  also  an 
equally  excellent  means  of  awakening  the  inner  world. 


122         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

For  just  this  play  in  its  adaptability  to  the  child  makes 
it  possible  not  only  that  the  invisible  thought  may  be 
formed,  but  also  that  the  inner  simple  thought  may  be 
represented  visibly  in  an  outward  manifoldness. 

Here,  then,  we  meet  as  a  very  great  imperfection  and 
inadequateness — indeed,  in  reference  to  the  inner  develop- 
ment of  the  child  an  obstructing,  and  in  reference  to  its 
outer  knowledge  a  disturbing  element,  and  in  both  cases 
an  element  actually  destructive  to  the  child — an  element 
which  slumbers  like  a  viper  under  roses,  in  that  which  is 
now  so  frequently  provided  as  a  plaything  for  children ; 
it  is,  in  a  word,  the  already  too  complex  and  ornate,  too- 
finished  plaything.  The  child  can  begin  no  new  thing 
with  it,  can  not  produce  enough  variety  by  means  of  it ; 
his  power  of  creative  imagination,  his  power  of  giving 
outward  form  to  his  own  idea,  are  thus  actually  dead-^ 
ened ;  as  when  we  provide  children  with  too  finished 
playthings  we  at  the  same  time  deprive  them  of  the  in- 
centive to  perceive  the  particular  in  the  general,  and  of 
taking  the  means  to  find  it  (for  example,  to  see  in  the 
general  cubical  form,  and  in  the  grouping  of  the  parts 
now  a  piece  of  furniture  of  a  house  or  room,  now  an 
animal,  etc.). 

The  plays,  the  first  of  which  is  here  given,  not  only 
avoid  this  just-mentioned  fault,  and  supplement  this  just- 
recognized  incompleteness,  but  they  contain  more  by  far, 
as  even  this  first  play  of  this  stage  already  shows. 

We  have  repeatedly  said,  and  every  one  can  observe, 
that  the  nature  of  the  child  is  to  feel  and  experience^  to 
act  and  represent^  to  thi7ik  and  to  recognize,  and  that  in 
this  threefold  yet  single  nature  are  included  the  totality 
of  his  expressions  of  life  and  of  his  activities. 

The  plaything  in  question  corresponds  to  and  wholly 


THE  THIRD  PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  123 

satisfies  this  threefold  expression  of  the  human  nature  (in 
itself  single)  and  of  the  child's  life  by  rendering  possible 
the  representation  and  construction  of  forms  of  heauty, 
life^  and  knowledge^  as  was  already  intimated  and  indicated 
even  in  the  former  review. 

True  knowledge  of  Nature  and  the  outer  worlds  and 
(especially)  clear  self-knowledge^  early  come  to  the  child 
by  this  dismembering  and  reconstruction  and  perception 
of  real  objects,  although  by  no  means  as  yet  by  verbal 
designation  of  the  various  products  of  the  activity  and 
of  the  inner  life  of  children.  Even  the  first  plaything 
of  this  series  leads  to  clear  and  distinct,  to  general  and 
simple  conceptions ;  it  leads  to  the  clear  arrangement  of 
the  feelings,  and  to  the  supervision  and  control  of  the 
emotions  ;  it  leads  to  a  productive,  judicious  use  of  energy, 
and  all  this  even  when  life  still  rests  in  undisturbed  unity 
within  the  child  ;  and  so  it  ought  to  be.  Perfectly  suit- 
able to  the  child  is  now 

The  Use  of  this  Plaything. — By  means  of  this  play,  as 
of  all  following  plays  of  the  kind,  incentive  as  well  as  ma- 
terial is  to  be  given  to  the  child  (now  between  one  and 
three  years  old)  freely  to  develop  and  to  exercise  of  his 
oivn  accord  the  whole  of  his  powers  and  talents  in  a 
manner  suited  to  the  corresponding  stage  of  life  and 
culture. 

In  order  to  furnish  to  the  child  at  once  clearly  and 
definitely  the  impression  of  the  whole,  of  the  self-con- 
tained (from  this  perception,  as  the  first  fundamental 
perception,  all  proceeds  and  must  pi;oceed),  the  play- 
thing, before  it  is  given  to  the  child  for  his  own  free  use, 
is  taken  out  of  its  paper  covering  and  again  arranged  in 
the  box  which  belongs  to  it ;  the  cover  of  the  box  is  now 
drawn  out  about  a  quarter  of  its  length,  the  box  is  turned 
11 


124:        PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

over,  placed  with  the  partly  drawn-out  cover  on  the  table 
before  the  child,  and  then  the  cover  is  wholly  drawn  out 
from  under  the  box.  The  cube  contained  in  it  will  thus 
sink  on  the  surface  of  the  table.  The  box  is  now  raised 
up  carefully  in  a  vertical  direction  from  the  plaything, 
which  will  thus  appear  before  the  observing  child  as  a  cube 
closely  united,  yet  easily  separated  and  again  restored.  This 
first  careful  presentation  of  this  plaything  in  conformity  to 
its  aim,  and  in  respect  to  the  child  and  his  inner  nature,  is 
by  no  means  incidental,  but,  on  the  contrary,  quite  essen- 
tial ;  for  the  child  receives  by  means  of  it  the  clear,  definite 
impression  of  a  self-contained  whole,  which,  as  he  soon 
perceives,  is  nevertheless  separable  into  its  component 
parts.  Since  now  the  child .  is  intent  on  seeing  the  new 
play,  the  first  impression  of  it  will  be  full  of  life,  and  so 
an  abiding  one ;  and  nothing  is  more  important  for  the 
child  than  that  his  first  impression  of  each  thing  should 
be  that  of  a  body  reposing  on  its  own  basis,  all  of  whose 
parts  belong  together.  Therefore  the  first  and  earliest 
impression  of  the  neatness  and  order  of  the  family  room, 
or  even  of  the  children's  room,  the  nursery,  is  so  pre- 
eminently important  for  the  child. 

We  can  not  here  pass  over  unmentioned  the  remark, 
essential  for  the  whole  life  of  the  child  and  his  course 
of  development,  that  phenomena  and  impressions  which 
seem  to  us  insignificant  and  are  often  mostly  unnoticed 
by  us  have  for  the  child,  and  especially  for  his  inner 
world,  most  important  results,  since  the  child  develops 
more  through  what  seems  to  us  small  and  imperceptible 
than  through  what  appears  to  us  large  and  striking.  Let 
us  thus  recall  vividly  to  our  remembrance,  and  for  the 
welfare  of  our  children  let  us  never  forget,  that  from  its 
beginning  in  the  smallest  and  most  imperceptible  there 


THE  THIRD  PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  125 

goes  forth  into  Nature  and  into  life  and  development  of 
child  and  man  as  a  whole  and  a  member,  what  later  on 
has  such  great  and  comprehensive  effects ;  hence — wholly 
contrary  to  the  commonly  prevailing  view  at  the  present 
time — the  observation  of  that  which  is  small,  and  even 
imperceptible^  is  notvhere  more  important  than  in  the 
children's  room,  and  therefore  in  the  family  room. 

We  can  not  permit  ourselves  here  to  suppress  two 
other  remarks  not  less  important  to  us  in  their  deep 
foundation.  The  first  is,  that  to  the  child  the  outer 
world  develops,  advances,  and  improves  according  to  the 
same  law,  and  in  similar  order  with  the  creation  of  the 
world,  and,  above  all,  of  the  earth,  as  we  are  informed 
by  the  Holy  Scriptures.  The  second  remark  is,  that  the 
child's  garden  of  paradise,  its  Eden,  is  the  nursery  and 
family  room,  the  father's  house  and  premises. 

We  can,  however,  here  not  carry  further  these  passing 
remarks — to  which  at  some  later  time  particular  atten- 
tion will  be  devoted,  but  whose  importance,  here  only  in- 
timated, is  already  explicitly  admitted  by  each  parent  or 
nurse — but  we  must  return  to  the  use  of  the  plaything  in 
question. 

The  cube,  which  is  divisible  into  parts,  lies  as  a  whole, 
as  a  unit,  before  the  child.  The  child  wishes  to  touch,  to 
handle  what  it  sees ;  one  of  the  component  cubes  is  dis- 
placed, and  it  or  another  falls  finally  in  consequence; 
but  the  cube  appearing  as  a  whole  is  to  be  examined  as 
to  its  contents  and  its  separability,  and  so  begins  the 
arrangement  of  the  parts  separately  and  afterward,  to- 
gether in  the  most  varied  ways,  according  to  the  require- 
ments of  the  selfhood  and  individuality  of  the  child; 
and  here  again  the  parts  are  placed  now  one  on  another, 
now  one  behind  another,  and  now  one  beside  another. 


126         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

Experience  has  shown  that  healthy,  vigorous,  and  also 
lively  children  have  employed  themselves  quietly  and 
thoughtfully  by  themselves  for  a  considerable  length  of 
time  arranging  the  cubes  together  on  different  plans,  but 
the  plan  once  chosen  is  adhered  to. 

What  shall  now  the  true,  careful  nurse  do  with  it  ? 
She  ought  to  let  the  child,  as  long  as  he  will,  play  quietly 
and  thoughtfully  by  himself.  If  the  child  demands  sym- 
pathy with  look  and  voice,  what  he  does  should  be  point- 
ed out  by  words  ;  for  example,  as  the  child  piles  one  cube 
on  another,  she  says,  "  Up,  up,  up  " ;  if  he  places  them 
beside  each  other,  she  says,  "  Near,  near,  near  "  ;  so  with 
"  behind  "  and  "  before,"  so  with  "  from  "  or  "  down,"  etc. 
But  she  can  also  sing  this  in  changing  notes,  "  Near,  ilear, 
near,"  or  "  Up,  up,  up,"  singing  "  up  "  with  a  rising  tone 
and  "  down  "  with  a  falling  tone. 

Soon  after  this  it  will  give  the  child  pleasure  to  con- 
nect with  one  another  separation  and  union,  arranging 
together  and  separately ;  this  also  is  accompanied  with 
the  words  and  the  measured  singing  tone,  "  Up,  down ; 
up,  down  " ;  or  "  To  and  fro  ;  to  and  fro,"  etc. ;  or  with 
more  extended  change  of  tone,  "  Up  there,  down  here ; 
up  there,  down  here,"  etc.  This  change  of  the  tone  not 
only  outwardly  accompanying  but  even  directing  his  ac- 
tion and  so  vivifying  his  play,  this  play  of  word  and  tone 
will  soon  please  the  child ;  the  little  one  will  not  only 
wish  and  demand  it,  but  even  imitate  and  accom- 
plish it. 

If  what  the  child  does  shows  no  precise  relation  to 
space,  and  the  nurse  would  like  to  accompany  the  child's 
activity  by  the  singing  change  of  tone,  she  sings  to  him 
in  different  notes  of  the  scale  : 


THE  THIRD   PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  127 

1       2       3 
"  One,  one,  one," 

or 

"  One  and  one,  and  one  again," 
or 

1         2  3 

"  One,  two,  three," 
etc.* 

If  at  another  time  she  is  carrying  the  child,  and  wishes 
to  quiet  him,  she  sings  a  whole  little  song  to  him  : 
[2] 

55  33  3255533  221 

Up  and  down  and  |  down  and  up,  |  up  and  down  and  |  down  and  up; 
or  [2] 

1  S^ — ,3  5  5         1        3^ — ,2  1 

One,  two,  and  |  three  ;  |  three  and  two  and  |  one 
or 

B, — .8      7^ — .7  6,^^6         5  6^ — ^6        5,^^5 

One  and  two  and  |  three  and  four ;  |  one  and  two  and  ( 
[3] 

4  4  3  2        5        1 

Three  and  four  ;  |  one  and  two. 

The  child  will  now  no  longer  remain  unaffected  by 
these  little  songs,  but  remembrances  and  perceptions  will 
become  awakened  in  him ;  and  so  he  becomes  at  the  same 
time  feeling,  thinking,  and  reflective — that  is,  aroused  in 
all-sided  life-harmony.  So  it  comes  to  pass  by  degrees 
that  the  child  not  only  perceives  the  tone  emotionally  in 
himself,  but,  I  might  say,  hears  it  in  and  from  the  dumb 
body. 

Who  does  not  see  already  from  this  what  a  rich  vari- 
ety is  developed  even  from  the  simplest  application  of 

*  By  the  figures  are  indicated  the  tones  which  are  to  be  sung  to 
the  words,  1  representing  the  keynote,  2  the  note  which  naturally 
follows  it,  and  so  on.  The  figures  at  the  beginning  point  out  the 
number  of  principal  parts  in  each  measure. 


128         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

the  first  occupation  with  this  plaything?  Who  could  or 
would  exhaust  even  this  ?  Enough ;  we  see  that  the 
child  will  be  already  educated,  in  the  innermost  harmony 
of  the  life  proceeding  from  God's  own  nature,  to  value, 
foster,  preserve,  and  exhibit  that  life  from  himself  and 
through  himself,  ivhich  is  indeed  the  ultimate  and  high- 
est object  of  all  education^  of  all  life.  And  we  have  this 
aim  clearly  before  our  eyes  and  in  our  hearts  by  these 
plays,  even  from  the  birth  of  the  child. 

The  child  will  for  a  long  time  now  indeed  occupy  him- 
self, partly  alone  and  partly  in  conjunction  with  his  nurse, 
in  the  simple  arrangement  of  the  blocks  separately  and 
together,  and  with  frequent  repetitions ;  but  he  wil^soon 
be  incited  by  the  idea  of  combining,  or  arranging  some- 
thing (for  example,  a  star),  by  moving  the  blocks  to  and 
from  one  another,  and  will  make  the  attempt. 

The  intelligent  nurse  now  interprets  this  dim  idea  in 
the  child,  and  sees  whether  a  something  (for  example,  a 
table,  a  bench,  a  chair,  etc.),  or  a  plurality  of  objects  at 
the  same  time  (for  example,  two  chairs,  two  benches, 
chair  and  bench,  or  table  and  bench,  etc.),*  can  be  per- 
ceived in  what  is  represented.  What  is  suggested  by  the 
imagination  and  caprice  of  the  moment  is  now  expressed 
by  word  and  tone  ;  for  example  : 

586351         585351 
A  table,  a  table,  a  table ;  a  chair,  a  chair,  a  chair. 

But  this  now  no  longer  satisfies  ;  the  child,  though  as  yet 
very  dimly,  connects  with  the  something  the  perception, 
the  idea,  of  a  purpose  for  this  something  ;  for  example,  he 
connects  with  a  chair  or  bench  the  idea  that  some  one  can 
sit  upon  it.     But  still  further,  as  the  bare  something  does 

*  Compare  the  illustration  on  Plate  IV,  Pigs.  14  to  24. 


THE  THIRD   PLAY   OF  THE  CHILD.  129 

not  now  satisfy  the  child,  so  also  he  is  not  satisfied  by 
the  bare  purpose  of  this  something ;  but  he  also  demands 
that  this  something  stand  in  connection  with  himself,  at 
least  with  his  life  or  with  somebody  or  something  in  his 
life,  for  example,  the  chair  (Plate  IV,  Fig.  18)  : 

"  This  is  grandmamma's  chair,  on  which  she  sits  and 
takes  the  child  on  her  lap  when  he  is  quiet,  and  tells  him 
a  story.  Come,  grandmamma,  come,  there  is  the  chair ; 
you  can  sit  down.  Come  tell  a  story  to  the  child."  So 
says  the  mother,  as  it  were,  from  the  child's  mouth,  and 
then  goes  on  :  **  The  grandmamma  is  not  there  ;  she  is  in 
the  kitchen  making  soup  for  father ;  or  she  is  planting 
flowers  in  the  garden,  little  flowers  for  sister." 

"  Come,  grandmamma,  bring  the  soup  ;  the  table  is 
ready ;  the  benches  also  are  standing  by  it "  (Plate  IV, 
Fig.  17).  The  mother  goes  on  talking  for  the  child,  and 
so  carries  on  a  dialogue  with  him. 

Another  time  the  child  himself  arranges  all  the  blocks 
to  form  a  well     (See  Plate  IV,  Fig.  24.) 

"  From  the  clear  spring  which  flows  in  there,  grand- 
father draws  water  when  he  is  thirsty;  mother  draws 
water  from  it  to  water  her  flowers,  or  to  wash  her  dear 
child." 

A  slight  alteration,  and  it  appears  the  next  time  as  a 
drinking  trough.     (See  Plate  IV,  Fig.  25.) 

•'  The  drinking  trough  is  so  long  that  the  cow  and  its 
calf,  the  horse  and  its  colt,  may  quench  their  thirst  from 
it  at  the  same  time." 

There  come  the  herdsman  and  the  herd  : 

"  The  herdsman  drives  before  him  horse  and  cow,  calf 
and  colt ;  the  colt  is  galloping  after  the  horse,  the  calf  is 
frisking  after  the  cow." 

At  a  somewhat  more  advanced  age  little  stories  may 


130         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

be  told  to  the  child  which  may  be  altered  in  the  niost 
various  ways ;  the  whole  cube,  for  example,  is  arranged  in 
the  representation  given  in  Plate  IV,  Figures  22  and  23. 
They  may  be  considered  as  ladders ;  then  the  mother  says  : 

"  Father  let  his  neighbor's  son  Fred  pick  cherries  from 
the  tree  in  the  garden  ;  he  went  there  and  wanted  to  get 
the  great  heavy  roof  ladder ;  but  when  he  wanted  to  stand 
it  up,  it  fell  and  broke.  '  See,  there  it  falls  ! '  The  gar- 
dener, Frank,  saw  it,  and  said,  '  The  heavy  roof  ladder 
does  not  belong  in  the  garden,  but  the  light  double  gar- 
den ladder.'  Fred  saw  that  Frank  was  right,  and  went 
to  get  it.  '  See,  there  it  stands ! '  (Fig.  23.)  And  now 
he  climbed  up  high  and  picked  beautiful  cherries,  but  he 
gave  some  to  Frank  and  to  mother  and  father." 

Thus  result  for  each  design  the  most  various  percep- 
tions and  the  most  manifold  applications  to  the  life  of 
the  child.  We  must  here  content  ourselves  with  these 
few  hints,  and  in  respect  to  the  further  details,  we  must 
refer  to  the  play,  to  the  description,  and  to  the  directions 
for  its  use,  and  to  the  text  for  the  play  itself.  Enough ! 
the  child  is  allowed  the  greatest  possible  freedom  of  in- 
vention ;  the  experience  of  the  adult  only  accompanies 
and  explains.  Yet  the  nurse  in  charge  may  also  request, 
"  Make  a  chair  once  more." 

All  this  in  reference  to  the  forms  of  life  represented 
by  the  plaything ;  these  inventions  of  form  may  perhaps 
more  manifestly  to  the  child's  understanding  be  called 
object  forms,  or  forms  of  things ;  for  example,  "  Come, 
we  will  make  an  object — a  thing ^  "  What  kind  of  an 
object^  what  kind  of  a  thing  have  you  made  ? "  It  is 
here  quite  essential  to  remark  that  all  the  eight  cubes 
always  belong  to  each  design — that  is,  they  must  stand 
in  some  relation  to  the  whole.     Thus  the  child  could 


THE  THIRD  PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  131 

indeed  have  made  the  design  (Fig.  23),  for  example,  so 
that  the  ladder  should  be  formed  of  two  times  three 
cubes,  and  one  above,  connecting  the  two  sets ;  hence,  of 
seven  cubes;  in  this  case  the  eighth  cube  must  be  the 
"hand  basket  in  which  the  cherries  were  picked,  and 
which  is  now  so  full  that  nothing  more  will  go  into  it." 

So  with  this  play  nothing  need  ever  exist  without  a 
relation  to  something  else,  nor  must  anything  appear 
without  relation,  as  also  in  actual  life  nothing  ever  exists 
anywhere  separate  and  without  relation.  Only  our  gaze 
is  often  too  weak,  our  eye  too  short-sighted  or  too  far- 
sighted  always  to  notice  and  to  recognize  this ;  but  so  it 
ought  not  always  to  remain.  And  to  develop  man's  inner 
as  well  as  his  outer  eye  from  an  early  age  for  the  near 
and  distant  relations  of  life,  for  perceiving  them  rightly, 
and  for  seeing  through  their  inner  coherence,  is  one  of 
the  ultimate  and  highest  aims  of  these  plays  for  the  wel- 
fare and  blessing,  for  the  joy  and  peace  of  the  individual 
human  being  as  well  as  of  humanity. 

We  now  advance  further  in  the  exposition  of  the  use 
as  well  as  in  the  introduction  into  the  spirit  of  the  play. 

Another  time  the  child  makes  from  the  whole  eight 
cubes  a  form  in  which  there  are  none  too  many,  none  too 
few  ;  each  is  in  its  right  place ;  but  we  can  not  say  of  the 
design  that  it  is  any  particular  object^  we  can  not  say  it 
is  any  particular  thing  ;  only  it  is  a  something,  for  all  the 
eight  cubes  are  used  in  it,  and  also  the  whole  eight  cubes 
seem  necessarily  to  belong  to  it.  And  so  the  design  says, 
as  it  were,  silently  and  always  anew  to  the  inventor  and 
observer,  "Take  notice!  take  notice!"  (HaV  Acht  !)* 
and  we  observers  do  not  know  how  to  explain  this  to  our- 
selves ;  we  do  not  know  whether  the  design  means  to  say 

*  HaV  Acht  means  "  have  eight "  Hi  well  as  "  Take  notice." — Tr. 


132         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 


1 


to  us  that  it  has  eight  (Acht)  members  or  parts,  or  if 
it  means  to  say  to  us  observers  that  we  should  notice 
(beachten)  it.  This  much  is  certain,  that  it  begins  as 
an  external  phenomenon,  and  becomes  in  us  as  a  presenti- 
ment; it  wishes  to  appear  something  to  us,  and  we  say 
involuntarily,  "  It  is  beautiful."  *  It  appears  to  us  some- 
thing, but  we  do  not  know  what  is  formed  by  it ;  we 
call  it  a  picture,  and  it  will  look  now  like  a  flower,  the 
inner  life  of  which  blossoms  out,  as  it  were,  in  outward 
appearance — its  inner  unity  in  outward  manifoldness ; 
now  like  a  star,  in  which  its  inner  individual  being 
breaks  forth  into  the  manifoldness  of  its  rays.  We  can 
do  no  otherwise  than  call  these  forms  beautiful,  or  rather, 
in  one  word,  as  they  themselves  are  but  one  in  themselves, 
beauty -forms;  or,  in  the  mouth  of  the  child,  picture- 
forms  ;  often,  however,  but  not  always,  flower-forms,  and 
still  less  often  ^^o^r-forms.  It  is  enough  that  unity  always 
shines  forth  from  them  as  the  one  light  shines  forth  from 
the  star ;  they  are,  to  the  inner  nature,  to  the  mind  and 
feeling,  not  only  something,  but  something  very  delight- 
ful, without,  however,  being  a  something,  an  object,  a 
thing  of  outward  use  in  life. 

But  now  how  shall  we  bring  to  the  child's  perception 
this  inner  unity  manifesting  itself  in  the  form  and  by 
means  of  it,  as  if  the  self- moving  unit  were  a  light  with- 
in the  form  ?  To  say,  "  That  is  beautiful  "  is  indeed  very 
fine  ;  but  what  does  our  child  know  about  it  ?  To  say  "  It 
is  pretty  "  is  indeed  true,  for  it  makes  prominent  one  form 
rather  than  another ;  yes,  it  effaces  the  other.     But  how 

*  Here  is  another  one  of  Froebel's  puns  or  etymologies.  What 
appears  scheint  (shines),  and  this  is  schon,  or  beautiful.  The  same 
punning  is  continued  below  in  formed  (gebildet)  and  picture  (Bild). 
— Editor. 


THE  THIRD  PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  133 

^hall  we  make  this  perceptible  to  the  child  ?  Just  through 
raising,  through  moving,  as  the  light  and  the  brightness 
ray  out  and  send  their  beams  upon  its  path. 

Let  us  also  now  go  on  this  path ;  let  us  move  and  re- 
move what  moves  and  removes  itself  by  its  own  efforts, 
although  for  the  outer  eye  it  stands  still.  For  instance, 
the  stone  always  moves  [inclines  to  move]  toward  the 
depth  [center  of  the  earth],  although  it  apparently  lies 
still  before  us ;  as  the  bud  or  the  blossom  on  the  plant 
always  strives  upward  and  actually  rises  constantly,  and 
yet  to  a  brief  observation  can  not  be  seen  to  move. 

Although  the  child  does  not  now  understand  the  mute 
language,  the  word  expressed  by  the  visible  shape  of  the 
object,  "  Take  care,"  yet  we  will  notice  it ;  since  we  en- 
deavor to  perceive  the  inner  speech  of  things,  the  speech 
of  Nature  and  of  living  facts. 

Practice  and  experience  will  later  show  that  it  makes 
no  difference  here  from  what  form  we  proceed,  or  whether 
we  go  forward  or  backward  from  this  form. 

We  proceed,  therefore,  to  our  lesson  on  Fig.  1,  Plate 
V.  What  do  we  now  notice  here?  Four  cubes  stand 
close  together  in  the  center.  Four  others  stand  around 
them  less  close,  and,  we  might  actually  say,  movable.  But 
what  now  is  shown  to  us  by  this  relation  of  the  four  outer 
movable  cubes  to  the  four  inner  quiescent  firmly  standing 
cubes  ?  It  shows  that  surfaces  or  sides  join  surfaces  or 
sides.  But  the  cube  shows  also  edges  or  lines.  Just  as 
surfaces  joined  surfaces,  or  surface  touched  surface,  so 
can  and  must  edges  join  edges,  or  edges  touch  edges. 

But  if,  now,  surfaces  can  join  on  to  surfaces,  edges  on 
to  edges,  and  so  always  the  like  can  join  to  one  another, 
so  also,  therefore,  in  the  progressive  course  and  completion 
of  the  development  and  movement,  opposites  can  and  must 


134         PEDAGOGICS  OP  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

unite  or  join  with  one  another,  edges  with  surfaces  a 
surfaces  with  edges.  Now,  how  is  all  this  to  be  made  per- 
ceptible to  the  child  in  the  simplest  way  ?  As  already 
said,  by  moving  and  removing.  We  begin  with  the  ar- 
rangement of  Plate  V,  Fig.  1 ;  we  move  one  after  another 
of  the  four  outer  cubes  which  now  stand  with  surface 
against  surface,  round  to  the  left  or  right  (application  of 
the  earlier  ball  game),  so  that  now  edges  come  to  end  in 
(i.  e.,  touch)  edges  (see  Plate  V,  Fig.  2)  ;  then  further, 
edges  touching  surfaces  (Plate  V,  Fig.  3),  and  finally  sur- 
faces touching  edges  (Fig.  4,  Plate  V) ;  and  we  have  thus 
attained  and  represented  before  the  child's  eye  what  we 
wished  :  we  have  made  manifest  and  clear  the  inner  unity 
of  the  shape  in  the  manifoldness  of  the  movements  in  and 
through  the  change  of  shapes,  and  the  child  will  soon 
give  evidence  through  lively  gestures  and  looks  that  he 
finds  this  dance  of  shapes  beautiful ;  he  will  soon  find  the 
word  beautiful  descriptive  of  this  dance,  and  will  of  his 
own  accord  designate  it  as  beautiful  when  repeated.  How 
now  invite  the  child  to  the  exhibition  and  consideration 
of  this  change  of  shape  ?  By  the  thing  itself  :  "  Come, 
child  !  we  will  dance  the  cubes  once  more.  But  in  order 
that  they  may  not  be  tired,  always  let  each  wait  a  little  ; 
now  dance  around  to  the  right,  now  around  to  the  left." 
(Plate  V,  Figs.  1,  2,  3,  4.) 

"  Come,  child  !  we  must  also  sing  for  the  dancing  "  : 

ro-i  113         3  5      5        3 

L'*J  Face  to  face  put ;  |  that  is  right,  | 

8     8        7        7  6       6  5 

Edges  now  are  |  meeting  quite ; 

6       6       5         5  4        4       3 

Edge  to  face  now  |  we  will  lay, 

2       2        115  5      2         1 

Pace  to  edge  will  |  end  the  play.* 
*  The  figure  2  at  the  left  hand  means  that  there  are  two  half- 


THE  THIRD  PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  I35 

The  same  alterations  that  have  been  made  with  the 
four  outer  cubes,  or  changes  similar  to  them,  can  now  also 
be  undertaken  with  the  inner.  The  four  cubes,  hitherto 
quiescent  in  the  center,  can  now  unfold  their  activity  also. 
(Compare  on  Plate  V,  Figs.  1,  5,  and  8  ;  also  3,  6,  and  7 ; 
2  and  10 ;  4  and  12.) 

Singing  can  then  accompany  this  action,  thus  : 

Only  the  outer  blocks 

Seem  now  to  go, 
For  the  four  inner  blocks 
No  movement  show. 
But  all  this  seeming  is  only  show. 
Inner  makes  outer  this  way  to  go. 
Its  rule  is  quiet,  but  we  shall  see 
It  makes  the  inner  the  outside  be. 

So,  for  example,  with  the  above-described  last  develop- 
ment of  the  four  inner  cubes  (from  Fig.  4  to  Fig.  12), 
one  can  now  also  return  from  Fig.  12  through  Figs.  11 
and  10  to  9  ;  so  that  now  again  the  four  inner  cubes  re- 
main standing  unaltered ;  and  the  four  outer  cubes,  on 
the  contrary,  move  around  the  first  in  a  dance,  as  it  were, 
either  round  to  the  right  or  round  to  the  left,  or  alter- 
nately to  the  right  and  to  the  left  (Plate  V,  Figs.  12  to  9). 

We  deliberately  give  prominence  to  this  example  and 
to  this  change  of  form  in  order  to  show  that,  with  this 
treatment  of  the  child's  plays,  no  undue  pressure  has  been 
put  on  the  course  of  development  of  the  child,  or  on  the 
expression  of  its  inner  nature  in  shaping  and  making 
forms,  but  that,  as  in  Nature,  the  whole  can  be  compre- 
hended from  each  point  and  continue  to  be  developed 
vitally  and  connectedly. 

notes  to  each  measure  and  the  number  over  the  words  signify :  the 
1  =  do  ;  the  3  =  mi ;  the  5  =  sol,  etc. — Editoe. 


136  PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 


1 


During  the  formation  of  these  and  similar  series  of 
shapes,  something  like  the  following  may  now  be  sung 
to  the  child  : 

rqi  5         8      7         6  6    5 

L*^J  In  I  joyous  dance  |  going, 

5         6      5      4  3 

In  I  frohcsome  |  play; 

3        2    3    2        5        5 

We  j  unity  |  showing 

3       5        5  4         2  1 

Reveal  the  whole  al-  |  way. 

Or, 

As  in  our  dance  we  wind, 
A  garland  now  we  bind. 
In  all  our  changes  we 
Keep  unity,  you  see  ; 
And  so  our  little  play 
Brings  you  much  joy  alway. 

This  may  here  suffice  as  a  hint  for  the  introduction  to 
the  exhibition  of  the  forms  of  beauty  to  the  child's  life. 
For  what  concerns  their  more  extended  treatment  I  must 
repeatedly  refer  to  the  description  accompanying  the  play- 
thing itself,  and  to  the  text. 

These  forms  could  also  be  called  dance  forms,  as  we 
speak  of  the  dance  of  worlds,  of  the  dance  of  the  seasons, 
the  dance  of  Nature  in  general.  Dance  forms  are  forms 
possessing  totality,  total  forms  in  which  each  individual 
heeds  and  obeys  the  whole ;  dance  forms,  wherein  each 
individual  is  there  on  account  of  the  whole  and  the  whole 
on  account  of  the  individual.  [That  is  to  say,  the  posi- 
tion of  each  one  of  the  cubes  is  determined  by  the  others 
through  laws  of  regularity,  symmetry,  and  harmony ;  the 
whole  determines  the  part.] 

Yet  in  the  progressive  course  of  creative  activity  there 
will  originate  from  and  by  this  activity  forms  which  can 
neither  be  classed  with  the  forms  of  the  first  nor  with 
those  of  the  second  kind.     These  are  to  be  designated 


THE  THIRD  PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  I37 

neither  as  forms  of  life  or  object  forms,  nor  as  forms  of 
beauty  or  picture  forms  (for  example,  Plate  III,  Fig.  2). 
Suddenly  as  by  a  blow  or  cut  appear  two  in  the  place  of 
one  :  in  the  place  of  the  whole  appear  parts — two  parts.  I 
feel  that  the  parts  are  exactly  alike  ;  they  are  two  halves, 
two  portions  of  the  whole.  What  does  this  experiment 
now  tell  me  ?  It  tells  and  teaches  me  that  I  can  separate 
a  whole,  that  I  can  separate  it  into  two  parts,  into  two 
halves,  into  two  portions.  Bodies  can  thus  have  different 
sizes  ;  bodies  can  have  the  same  size  ;  moreover,  the  two 
halves  have  a  different  form  from  the  cube,  though  the 
form  of  each  half  is  like  the  other. 

Again,  in  another  lesson  the  whole  is  divided  in  a  dif- 
ferent direction,  into  two  halves  (Plate  III,  Fig.  3).  Each 
part  is,  in  reference  to  the  cube,  the  same  as  before. 
Again,  there  are  two  parts  which  are  equal  parts,  two 
halves,  and  yet  in  reference  to  the  person  who  creates 
the  new  combination,  exhibits  it  and  observes  it,  all  is 
quite  different ;  there  the  two  narrow  sides,  here  the  two 
broad  ones,  are  turned  into  view.  The  parts  are  placed 
differently  as  well  in  reference  to  the  cube  itself  as  in  ref- 
erence to  the  observer  ;  it  is  therefore  the  different  posi- 
tion which  here  attracts  attention.  The  cube,  so  arranged 
and  considered,  teaches  therefore  that  like  parts  can  have 
different  positions'.  And  hence  these  different  groupings 
have  taught  us  and  brought  to  our  knowledge  the  fact  that 
groups  or  bodies  can  be  looked  at  and  contemplated,  first  of 
all,  in  respect  to  their /orw,  size.,  and  position.,  but,  second- 
ly, in  respect  to  their  comhination.  For  the  two  halves  of 
the  cube  remain  the  same  two  halves  in  respect  to  their  size, 
form,  and  position,  even  if  their  broad  sides  are  again 
joined  to  form  the  whole  cube.  But  what  the  cube  has 
taught  to  the  child  by  this,  what  he  has  learned  and  recog- 

\ 


138         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

nized,  is  also  true  ;  and  hence,  therefore,  these  forms  may 
be  called  forms  of  truths  forms  of  knotvledge,  forms  of  in- 
structmij  indeed,  for  the  child  they  are  most  suitably 
called  forms  of  learning.  But  could  forms  of  knowledge, 
truth,  and  instruction  and  learning  be  for  a  child  from 
one  to  three  years  old  play  forms,  and  thus  forms  of  cre- 
ative independent  activity  ? 

Well,  why  not  ? 

Arrange  all  the  eight  part-cubes  together  (Plate  III, 
Fig.  1),  and  say,  "  One  whole."  But  divide  it  immediately 
(Fig.  2  of  the  same  plate),  and  say  "  Two  halves  ! "  Re- 
peat now  the  union  and  separation  several  times,  singing  : 

One  whole,  two  sides ;  one  whole,  two  sides. 
Another  time : 

One  whole,  two  parts  ;  one  whole,  two  parts. 
Again,  another  time  : 

One  whole,  two  halves  ;  one  whole,  two  halves. 

What  a  variety  of  changes  through  this  use  of  different 
words  and  tones  !  But  the  change  of  position  can  also  be 
brought  into  combination  with  it,  for  example  : 

One  whole  (Fig.  1,  Plate  III),  two  sides  (Fig.  2,  Plate  III) ; 
One  whole  (Fig.  1),  two  sides  (Fig.  3) ; 
One  whole  (Fig.  1),  two  sides  (Fig.  4). 

The  next  time  "  two  parts  "  can  be  sung  instead  of 
"  two  sides,"  and  again  a  third  time  "  two  halves."  More 
variety  still  can  be  brought  into  the  whole  by  changing 
both  word  and  position,  for  example  : 

One  whole  (Fig.  1,  Plate  III),  two  sides  (Fig.  2) ; 
One  whole  (Fig.  1),  two  parts  (Fig.  3) ; 
One  whole  (Fig.  1),  two  halves  (Fig.  4). 

Or  comparing  and  connecting  and  describing  ^y  song  at 
the  same  time  that  the  objects  are  manipulated  : 


Or 


THE  THIRD   PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  139 

(Fig.  1)  Look  here  and  see  !    One  whole,  two  halves  (Fig.  2) ; 

One  half,  two  fourths ;  two  halves,  four  fourths  (Fig.  5) ; 
(Fig.  1)  One  whole,  four  fourths  (Fig.  5) ; 
(Fig.  5)  Four  fourths,  eight  eighths  (Fig.  8) ; 
(Fig.  8)  Eight  eighths,  one  whole  (Fig.  1). 

Here  are  many,  here  are  few ; 

It's  a  magic  way  to  do. 


If  piles  are  large,  few  will  they  be ; 
If  many,  they  are  small,  you  see. 
Now,  pray,  what  can  the  reason  be  f 

Or,  in  general : 

Now  large,  and  now  small, 

Now  small,  now  large  grown ; 

Yet,  dear,  the  cube  has 

A  size  of  its  own. 
Or: 

Now  many,  and  now  few ; 

Now  few,  now  many  view, 

This  change  is  pleasant  too. 

Or  bringing  adverbs  and  prepositional  words  into  use  to 
describe  new  relations  in  the  play  : 

One  half  is  there,  one  half  is  here  (Fig.  2) ; 

One  half  before,  one  back,  my  dear  (Fig.  3) ; 

One  half  above,  one  half  below  (Fig.  4) ; 

Which  I  like  best  I  scarcely  know. 

Or  reversed  : 

One  half  above,  one  half  below  (Fig.  4) ; 
One  half  before,  one  back  will  go  (Fig.  3) ; 
One  half  to  left,  one  half  to  right  (Fig.  2) ; 
This  changing  is  a  pretty  sight. 


Or 


The  one  half  here,  one  there  will  go  (Pig.  2); 
One  half  above,  one  half  below  (Fig.  4) ; 
One  half  before,  one  half  behind  (Fig.  3) ; 
Thus  finely  word  and  act  combined 
Will  into  one  another  wind. 

12  *. 


140         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

Similar  and  yet  different  forms  can  be  on  another  oc- 
casion represented  with  quarters  (Plate  III,  Figs.  5,  6,  7). 
The  perception  of  the  relations  of  position  as  forms  of 
knowledge  admits  of  another  beautiful  play — viz.,  where 
one,  for  example,  in  Fig.  2,  turns  the  two  inner  planes  of 
separation  to  surfaces  or  sides  outward,  and,*  on  the  con- 
trary, the  two  outer  surfaces  or  sides  inward,  and  at  the 
same  time  sings  to  the  child : 

Inner  to  outer  and  outer  to  in, 

Which  of  them,  pray,  by  the  change  will  win  t 

To  think  of  that  I  must  begin. 

These  hints  concerning  the  use  of  the  forms  of  learn- 
ing as  play  may  now  suffice  with  reference  to  the  text  of 
the  plaything. 

All  these  little  songs  and  exercises  in  perception  can  be 
introduced  in  very  many  other  ways  into  the  life  of  the 
child,  and  indeed  they  may  be  quite  generally  employed 
for  quieting  him — e.  g.,  rocking  him  on  your  hands  now 
to  the  left,  now  to  the  right  side : 

From  inner  to  outer,  then  inner  at  last, 
Time  in  our  playing  will  go  very  fast. 

Or,  now  shutting  the  two  hands  together,  now  opening 
both  and  the  fingers  on  both  ;  then  closing  each  of  the  fin- 
gers on  both  hands,  then  again  opening  them,  and  singing : 

Now  but  few,  now  many  see  ; 
Now  but  few,  now  many  see. 

And  now  the  finger-tips,  starting  from  the  little  finger, 
must  be  allowed  to  run,  as  it  were,  round  one  another,  as  if 
one  wished  to  count  them,  and  the  song  must  be  continued  : 
It's  a  pretty  play  for  me. 

In  the  same  manner  observant  and  energetic  nurses  are 
everywhere  given  opportunity  to  apply  the  lessons  of  the 


THE   THIRD   PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  141 

play,  derived  from  the  dead  blocks  of  wood,  so  that  they 
exert  a  direct  influence  on  the  life  of  the  child  ;  for  exam- 
ple, the  play  of  swinging  the  child  up  and  down  in  the 
arms,  and  at  the  same  time  singing  to  it : 

Up  and  down,  and  down  and  up, 
So  do  lively  children  run  ; 
Down  and  up,  and  up  and  down, 
Up  the  hill  and  down  again. 

Now,  what  is  the  aim  of  all  this?  That  the  child 
should  never  be  surrounded  by  anything  dead,  but  only 
by  what  he  himself  is — namely,  by  life  and  by  living 
things  ;  that  the  child  should  never  see  nor  hear  what  is 
destitute  of  sense  and  significance,  or  what  is  empty  ;  but 
that  he  should  see,  perceive,  and  discover  sense,  signifi- 
cance, and  connection  in  all  things,  as  well  as  the  fullness, 
and  harmony  of  life.  It  is  thus  by  no  means  intended, 
especially  with  the  so-called  forms  of  learning,  that  the 
child  should  already  definitely  comprehend  relations  of 
size  and  number,  but  that  a  certain  tone  be  always  con- 
nected with  a  certain  perception,  and  the  tone,  when  it  is 
again  heard,  may  recall  a  certain  perception,  and  so  any- 
thing indefinite  or  empty  may  never  come  near  the  child. 

We  will  later  return  to  this  subject  when  we  have  be- 
fore us  the  child  of  two  or  three  or  four  years  old  with 
bodily  powers  quite  developed,  and  with  free  use  of  his 
limbs  in  walking,  in  lifting,  in  jumping  and  swinging. 
And  then  the  play  with  the  ball,  in  harmony  with  the 
bodily  and  spiritual  development  of  the  child,  is  seen  by 
us  to  be  a  means  of  education,  training,  teaching,  and 
learning,  altogether  as  a  genuine  means  of  life.  For  what 
is  the  highest  gift  to  child  and  man  ? — life.  The  use  of 
what  gift  is  the  most  important  for  child  and  man  ? — the 
use  of  life  I 

\ 


142         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

What  presents  are  the  most  prized  by  the  child  as  well 
as  by  mankind  in  general  ?  Those  which  afford  him  a 
means  of  unfolding  his  inner  life  most  purely,  and  of 
shaping  it  in  a  varied  manner,  giving  it  freest  activity 
and  presenting  it  clearly. 

So  it  now  seems  to  me  we  shall  soon  discover  what  is 
meant  by  "  Come,  let  us  live  with  our  children  !  "  Only 
let  us  not  shun  the  labor  needed  to  lay  a  foundation  for 
life  in  the  small,  in  the  deep,  and  in  the  united.  The 
tree  of  life  will  surely  blossom  for  us.  The  twigs  will 
wind  themselves  into  garlands ;  as  the  foliage  will  give 
us  a  shade,  so  will  the  branches  afford  us  fruit.  Let  us 
only  faithfully  care  for  our  children,  and  soon  will  grow 
up  around  us  a  garden  of  God.  Let  us  only  loyally  foster 
the  children,  and  nothing  in  heaven  or  on  earth  has  such 
high  promise,  such  abiding  blessing ;  for  God  loves  his 
creatures,  his  human  beings ;  he  loves  his  children  ;  and 
we  children,  we  human  beings,  should  therefore  love  our 
children  as  much  !  Let  us  only  show  in  life  union,  har- 
mony, and  singleness  of  purpose,  and  hence  reveal  the  di- 
vine. Soon  will  union,  peace,  joy,  and  the  godlike  incline 
toward  us,  and  hence  toward  our  children  !  If  you  can  not 
already  perceive  in  the  individual  the  totality  and  unity, 
in  the  germ,  the  blossom,  the  fruit,  the  plant,  you  must 
have  faith  in  the  seed,  the  soil,  the  sky,  the  gardener,  the 
whole,  the  harmony  of  life. 

Would  that  this  sketch,  here  given  in  outline,  might 
show  in  what  all-sided  relation  to  life  we  look  upon  the 
child's  plays  and  occupations  !  It  will  show  how  they 
ought  to  be,  and  are  to  us  for  the  child  the  most  centra] 
point  of  all,  and  the  point  to  which  all  the  phenomena  oi 
his  life  relate,. so  that  the  child  may  early  also  find  in  him- 
self the  inner  central  point  to  which  all  relate,  and  in 


THE  THIRD  PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  143 

which  all   is  united,  the  harmony  and  unity  of  life,  of 
his  life,  of  all  life. 

THE  MOTHER'S  CRADLE  SONG. 

Rest !  rest ! 
Rest,  my  little  son,  rest ! 
Rest  thou  in  thy  motller's  arms  ; 

Rest  thou  on  thy  mother's  breast ; 
While  my  love  my  baby  warms, 
My  heart's  delight,  0  rest  I 

Rest !  rest ! 
Rest,  my  darling  boy,  rest ! 
Thy  mother's  care  strict  watch  shall  keep 

That  sister's  loving  gaze  on  thee 
Shall  not  awaken  thee  from  sleep. 
For  that  would  grieve  both  her  and  me. 

Rest !  rest ! 
Rest,  my  trusting  one,  rest  I 
To  listen  to  the  life  within. 

The  softly  heaving  breast  to  see, 

Sweet  looks  of  love  and  trust  to  win, 

Oh,  this  is  bliss  indeed  for  me  I 

Rest !  rest ! 
Rest,  my  little  heart,  rest ! 
True,  tender  name  !     Thou  art  a  part 

Of  father,  and  of  mother  too  ; 
For  father's  heart  and  mother's  heart 
Have  found  in  thine  their  union  true. 

Rest !  rest ! 
Rest,  my  little  son,  rest  I 
All  life's  finest  gifts  around  thee 

Spring  forth  from  the  loving  heart : 
Ever  may  these  gifts  surround  thee, 
Banish  pain,  and  joy  impart  ! 

\ 


144         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

Rest !  rest ! 
Rest,  my  little  son,  rest ! 
The  peace  of  soul,  the  true  heart-rest, 

May  I  ever  keep  for  thee  ! 
These  are  the  highest  gifts,  the  best 
For  earth  and  for  eternity. 
Rest!  rest  I 


X. 


THE    CONTINUED     DEVELOPMENT     OF    THE     CHILD,    AND 
THE   SELF-UNFOLDING    PLAY   WITH   THE   BALL. 

It  has,  in  the  course  of  these  expositions,  been  repeat- 
edly asserted — and  indeed  it  was  first  asserted  at  the  con- 
clusion of  the  first  of  them — that  the  giving  of  a  new  play 
by  no  means  precludes  the  further  use  of  the  preceding 
and  earlier  plays.  But,  on  the  contrary,  the  use  of  the 
preceding  play  for  some  time  longer  with  the  new  play, 
and  alternating  with  it,  makes  the  application  of  the  new 
play  so  much  the  easier  and  more  widely  significant.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  practice  of  the  new  play  following 
has  a  retroactive  effect  on  the  more  animated  and  thought- 
ful, as  well  as  on  the  more  intelligent  and  freer  use  of 
the  preceding  plays  in  general.  It  was  also  stated  that 
the  plays  are  in  themselves  a  whole,  and,  indeed,  a  whole 
the  parts  of  which  develop  from  one  another,  and  their 
spirit  is  felt  and  recognized  as  a  spirit  of  union  and  sin- 
gleness of  purpose.  So  also  is  the  development  of  the 
child  himself  felt  and  perceived,  and  therefore  striven  for 
by  himself  as  well  as  by  his  observant  nurse,  as  a  whole 
constantly  unfolding  from  itself ;  hence  it  receives  further 
nurture. 

Yet  these  playthings,  or  rather  the  comprehension  of 
the  play  and  playing  of  the  child  as  a  great  living  whole 
dependent  upon  Nature  and  life  in  all  relations,  show  also 


146         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

a  different  quality.  They  show,  namely,  that  they  con- 
tinue to  unfold  in  the  progressive  course  of  the  develop- 
ment and  education  of  the  child  in  a  logical  sequence ; 
and  yet,  as  it  were  in  harmony  with  the  growth  of  the 
child,  and  unfold  themselves  anew  and  generate  new 
things  from  themselves  in  their  use,  in  their  application, 
and  in  a  manner  suited  to  the  course  and  the  then  exist- 
ing stage  of  the  child's  development. 

Let  us  now  in  this  connection  stop  here  at  the  first, 
the  simplest  of  the  playthings,  at  the  ball. 

As  the  strength  of  the  child  develops,  the  use  of  the 
ball  becomes  more  varied,  certainly  freer,  and  I  might 
say  more  personal.  So  as,  for  example,  the  child  in  the 
beginning  merely  lets  the  ball  roll  from  the  box  on  the 
table  and  fall  back  into  the  box ;  then  next  he  lets  the 
ball  run  back  from  the  cup  into  the  box ;  from  the  box 
again  into  the  cup,  and  lets  it  roll  round  in  the  cup  (both 
of  these  acts  are  frequently  repeated  actual  facts  of  the 
first  child  life  and  child  play),  so  will  the  child  also  very 
soon — as  soon  as  he  has  perceived  that  he  can  hollow  his 
little  hands  like  a  cup — let  the  little  ball  run  from  one 
hand  into  the  other,  (as  the  child,  and  especially  the  little 
girl,  later  employs  itself  for  a  long  time  merely  by  pour- 
ing water  or  sand  from  one  vessel  into  another  alternate- 
ly). This  activity  of  the  child  is  now  taken  up  and  imi- 
tated. It  is  repeated,  and  at  the  same  time,  extended  by 
letting  the  ball  run  from  one  hand  into  the  other,  but 
also  at  the  same  time — in  order  to  render  prominent  the 
resting  in  the  different  hands — inclosing  and  hiding  it 
now  in  one  hand,  now  in  the  other,  but  again  showing  it 
alternately  at  rest  now  on  one  hand,  now  on  the  other. 

The  child  (like  the  man)  would  like  to  learn  the  sig- 
nificance of  what  happens  around  him.     This  is  the  foun- 


THE   DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  CHILD.  147 

dation  of  the  Greek  choruses,  especially  in  tragedy.  This, 
too,  is  the  foundation  of  very  many  productions  in  the 
realm  of  legends  and  fairy  tales,  and  is  indeed  the  cause 
of  many  phenomena  in  actual  history.  This  is  the  result 
of  the  deeply  rooted  consciousness,  the  at  first  deeply 
slumbering  premonition  of  being  surrounded  by  that 
which  is  higher  and  more  conscious  than  ourselves.  In 
this  unconscious  premonition  the  child  calls  upon  all 
which  surrounds  him,  and  particularly  on  the  conscious, 
speaking  beings  about  him,  to  tell  him  this  meaning,  or 
at  least  give  him  some  information  or  hint  concerning  the 
kind  of  relation  which  exists  between  things.  Indeed, 
the  child  demands  even  of  the  mute  object  that  it  tell 
him  its  meaning,  and  let  him  perceive  these  relations. 
This  premonition  and  demand  of  the  innermost  child 
nature  shows  itself  to  all  who  have  the  care  of  chil- 
dren, and  especially  to  the  mother.  By  the  satisfaction 
of  this  premonition  and  this  demand  the  child  will  grow 
to  love  and  reverence  its  parents,  and  acquire  respectful 
recognition  of  age  and  experience.  The  nurse  may,  there- 
fore, when  she  brings  the  child's  own  play  to  his  more 
definite  perception  by  imitating  it,  sing  to  him  as  follows : 

Over  there, 
Over  here ; 
Now  it  is  there, 
Now  it  is  here ; 
Now  it  is  far, 
Now  it  is  near ; 
I  see  now  no  more 
What  just  now  I  saw. 
Or: 

Go  there,  here;  there,  here;  there,  here; 
Like  a  shuttle,  wander,  dear. 
You  have  woven  long  enough 
For  a  yard-long  piece  of  stufE. 


148         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  through  this  play  the 
interval  of  time  quickly  consumed  in  weaving  is  symbolized. 
It  is  likewise  by  no  means  necessary,  still  less  perhaps  is  it 
required,  that  this  should  be  expressed  by  the  child,  or  even 
to  him.  The  significance  lies  open  to  the  feeling,  to  the 
emotion,  to  the  perception  of  the  child  when  the  little  one 
complainingly  or  entreatingly  comes  to  his  mother,  say- 
ing, "  Mother,  the  time  seems  long  to  me ;  what  shall  I 
do  ?  "  He  is  briefly  answered,  "  Weave  " — that  is,  in  other 
words,  "  Busy  yourself  with  the  means  around  you."  I 
believe  nothing  more  is  needed  for  thinking  and  sen- 
sible parents,  mothers  and  nurses,  in  order  to  perceive 
thoroughly  the  inner  constant  coherence  even  of  the  first 
and  smallest  of  the  child  plays  with  the  later  manlike 
professional  or  business  life  of  the  human  being  now  still 
in  the  stage  of  childhood.  Or  the  simple  play  can  be  ac- 
companied by  singing  the  words  : 

Over  there, 

Over  here, 

It  quickly 

Can  spring ; 

And  clearly 

I  sing 

A  song  to  it,  dear. 

In  this  is  indicated  the  harmony,  the  accord  of  the 
inner,  experiencing  life  with  the  outer,  active  life,  and 
the  animating,  delightful  influence  of  the  play. 

Yet,  before  we  advance  further  in  the  onward  develop- 
ment of  the  free  play  with  the  ball,  we  will  first  pause  to 
consider  another  side  of  the  play  with  the  ball,  which  is 
in  a  certain  respect  related  to  it. 

It  will  not  have  escaped  the  notice  of  the  reader  of  this 
book  that  whenever  an  opportunity  presents  itself  to  chil- 


THE   DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  CHILD.  I49 

dren  they  throw  the  baH  upon  an  inclined  surface — for 
example,  on  a  roof — that  the  ball  may  roll  down  it,  and 
they  standing  below  may  catch  it  in  the  hand. 

Seeing  this,  one  can  sing  with  the"  child,  and  accord- 
ing to  his  experience  : 

Off  1  send  thee  ; 

Yet  thou  lov'st  me, 

And  show'st  to  me 

Thy  constancy. 

The  shortest  track 

Will  bring  thee  back, 

Straight  back  to  me. 

The  appearance  and  meaning  of  this  play  are  inclina- 
tion and  union ;  the  straight  path  is  under  certain  con- 
ditions the  nearest  way,  at  least  the  straight  line  is  always 
the  shortest.     Or,  further  : 

The  higher  goes  my  ball, 
The  swifter  it  will  fall ; 
And  yet  I  always  see 
It  coming  back  to  me. 

Object  observed  and  meaning :  the  greater  the  space 
through  which  it  falls  and  the  longer  the  unobstructed 
line  of  its  fall,  the  quicker  is  the  movement,  the  stronger 
is  the  action  and  power  of  the  falling  body.  If  one  wishes 
to  point  out  this  latter  phenomenon  for  children  somewhat 
older,  one  can  add,  singing  to  the  ball  as  if  from  the  mouth 

of  the  child : 

Yes,  the  greater  space 
Does  not  destroy  your  force, 
But  makes  it  more,  of  course. 
Did  I  not  perceive  it, 
I  scarcely  would  believe  it. 

Yet  the  child  is  delighted  not  only  by  the  rebound  of 
the  ball  from  the  slanting  surface  and  the  catching  it 


150         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

again,  but  also  with  its  rebound  from  the  flat  wall^  as 
will  be  noticed  everywhere  where  children  are.  One  can 
sing  to  the  child  again,  as  it  were,  from  its  own  mouth, 
the  following.  We  will,  however,  let  the  little  songs,  for 
better  understanding,  follow  in  descending  series  : 

I  throw  my  ball  against  the  wall, 
Back  to  my  hand  now  flies  my  ball. 
Again  I  throw  it  far  away, 
But  far  from  me  it  will  not  stay. 

0  ball !  what  can  the  reason  be. 
Thou  always  comest  back  to  me  f 

This  is  a  hint  of  the  elasticity  of  the  ball,  etc. 

Or: 

1  long  to  catch  thee. 
Quickly  to  snatch  thee ; 
Come  like  an  arrow 
Let  loose  from  a  bow  ; 
Come  like  the  wind 

Which  from  hill-tops  doth  blow. 
Thou  bringest  to  me 
Much  pleasure,  much  glee. 

Or: 

Fly  from  the  wall, 
Back  to  me,  ball ! 
And  as  you  spring, 
Joy  to  me  bring  ! 

Hand, 
Wall ; 
Spring, 
Ball. 

Now,  since  the  child  has  practiced  itself  in  this  way  in 
catching  the  ball,  we  return  to  the  free  manipulation  of 
it,  or  rather  to  the  manipulation  of  it  in  perfectly  free 
space.  We  were  considering  above  the  play  in  which  the 
child  threw  the  ball  from  one  hand  to  the  other ;  now 


Or,  briefly  : 


THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  CHILD.  151 

we  will  also  bring  into  the  play  the  act  of  throwing  it  or 
tossing  it  vertically  into  the  air.  The  child  first  tosses 
the  ball  into  the  air,  then  catches  it  again  with  the  same 
hand,  tosses  it  into  the  other  hand  from  this  again  back 
into  the  first  hand,  which,  as  in  the  beginning  of  the  play, 
tosses  it  again  into  the  air,  and  again  catches  it,  then  again 
tosses  it  into  the  other  hand,  and  so  goes  on  as  before. 
Upon  this  one  can  sing  to  the  child,  and  perhaps  later 

sing  with  him : 

Go  up, 
Down  fall ; 
Fly  off, 
Come,  ball. 

Up  to  this  point  we  have  merely  represented  plays  in 
which  the  child  played  alone.  But  the  pleasure  and  live- 
liness, and,  as  the  children  themselves  call  it,  the  fun  of 
the  play,  will  soon  bring  a  second,  a  companion  to  the  one 
player. 

They  can  then  again  begin  with  the  simple  tossing 
back  and  forth  to  each  other,  and  they  can  themselves 
sing,  or  the  nurse  can  at  first  sing  to  them  or  with  them, 

as  above  indicated  : 

Over  there, 

Over  here. 

Quickly 

'Twill  spring ; 

Clearly 

We'll  sing. 

A  song  to  it,  dear ; 

A  song  to  it,  dear. 

But  this  play  can  also  soon,  especially  for  skillful  chil- 
dren, receive  a  very  simple  but  considerably  extended 
alteration.  Instead  of  the  tossing  being  done  ffom  the 
right  hand  into  the  left  hand  opposite,  or  from  both 
hands  into  both  hands  as  in  the  former  play,  it  can  now 


152         PEDAGOGICS  OP  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

be  varied  by  oblique  movements,  for  example,  thus  :  from 
the  right  hand  of  the  first  the  ball  goes  in  an  oblique  direc- 
tion to  the  right  hand  of  the  second  boy  ;  from  this  hand 
again  in  a  straight  direction  to  the  left  hand  of  the  first, 
and  from  this  again  in  a  slanting  direction  to  the  left 
hand  of  the  second  boy ;  he  now  with  his  left  hand  throws 
the  ball  back  into  the  right  hand  of  the  first  boy,  who  then 
begins  the  play  anew.     To  this  can  be  sung  : 

There  and  here, 
Straight  across, 
And  then  oblique. 
There  and  here, 
Straight  across, 
And  then  oblique. 
We  will  tightly 
Weave  in  playing. 
Good  work  wins  the 
Mother's  praises ; 
But,  alas  !  now 
All  is  in  pieces. 

A  symbolical  portrayal  of  an  activity  without  any  visi- 
ble results. 

But  the  first  play,  the  simple  throwing  or  tossing  to 
one  another,  may  also  be  extended  in  the  following  beau- 
tiful manner  :  While  the  two  players  toss  the  ball  to  each 
other,  they  either  alternately  or  both  at  the  same  time 
recede  from  each  other  by  a  short  step,  and  at  the  same 
time,  in  proportion  to  the  increasing  distance,  toss  the  ball 
to  one  another  in  a  higher  and  higher  arch,  and  sing : 

Going  high,  now, 
Lightly  fly  now. 

In  an  arc. 
Always  farther, 
Always  farther 

Be  the  mark. 


THE  DEVELOPMENT  OP  THE  CHILD.  153 

A  very  beautiful  alternation  in  the  form  of  an  exten- 
sion to  this  play  may  be  produced  if  two  balls  are  taken, 
so  that  each  player  holds  one  which  he  tosses  to  his  fel- 
low ;  this  play  can  be  accompanied  by  the  following 
words,  sung  or  spoken  : 

If  now  we  balls  are  two, 

We'll  show  you  something  new ; 

See  I  now  a  race  we  try, 

And  in  a  race  we  fly, 

Each  to  the  other's  hand. 

But  this  play  can  be  also  sung  alone  by  a  child  prac- 
ticed in  these  exercises,  in  which  case  the  conclusion  of 
the  song  is  different,  viz. : 

Each  to  the  other  hand. 

It  can  be  seen  from  this  how  these  plays  are  not  only 
precisely  adapted  to  the  developed  strength  and  acquired 
skill  of  the  child,  but  that  also  both  strength  and  skill  are 
developed  by  the  plays,  which  are  a  measure  of  their  de- 
velopment. 

But  more  than  two,  three,  or  four  children,  placing 
themselves  in  a  triangle  or  quadrangle,  can  at  the  same 
time  take  part  in  this  play,  so  that  the  first  child  always 
throws  the  ball  to  the  second  child,  the  second  to  the 
third,  and  so  on.  Since  now  a  greater  interval  of  time 
elapses  before  the  ball  comes  to  be  caught,  the  desire 
is  increased  in  the  child  that  the  ball  may  now  also 
come  to  him ;  this  the  children  can  now  again  sing,  for 

example : 

Ball,  I  have 
A  great  desire 

You  to  seize ; 
Quickly  come  here, 

If  you  please. 

% 


154         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

If  there  2,xq  four^five^  or  six  children  or  more,  one  can 
sing  to  them,  and  they  can  sing  to  themselves,  or  rather 

to  their  ball : 

Gayly  to  wander 
From  one  to  another, 
Ball,  fly  up  so, 
High  in  a  bow. 
For  you  to  seize 
Will  me  much  please. 

The  expression  of  both  is  the  yearning  to  subordinate 
one's  self  to  a  higher  general  law  of  life,  and  to  a  higher 
requirement  of  life. 

When  the  number  of  the  playing  children  increases  to 
six,  or  perhaps  eight,  and  the  ability  to  play  has  risen  to 
skillf  ulness — indeed,  to  a  high  degree  of  accomplishment — 
one  can  also  bring  into  the  play  two  or  more  balls  in  the 
proportion  to  the  number  of  children  ;  for  example,  a 
green^  a  red^  a  yellow^  so  that  they,  like  flowers,  may  wind 
themselves  into  a  garland.     To  this  may  be  sung : 

Dear  little  balls. 

Your  places  take, 
Swinging  and  dancing, 

A  wreath  to  make, 
You,  like  flowers 

Intertwining, 
Should  be  ready 

For  combining. 

Here  enters  now  especially  the  subordination  to  the 
law  of  motion,  which  is  Just  what  makes  the  orderly,  con- 
certed, and  especially  the  circling  movements  and  activi- 
ties of  all  plays,  not  only  so  animating,  but  also  so  forma- 
tive, so  uniting.  Being  in  harmony  not  only  with  the 
higher  life  of  Nature,  but  even  with  the  higher  human 
life,  and  introducing  the  child  into  those  phases  of  life 


THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  CHILD.  I55 

these  plays  unfold  to  receive  and  become  penetrated  by 
these  two  kinds  of  life,  and  they  can  not  be  too  carefully 
cultivated,  and  can  not  be  represented  with  too  much 
purity,  clearness,  and  accordance  with  the  laws  of  life. 

We  now  again  return  to  the  plays  in  which  an  outside 
foreign  object  (for  example,  a  wall)  is  brought  into  the 
play.  These  plays  admit  of  new  adaptations,  in  which 
two  or  more  children  take  part,  especially  now  since  the 
development  of  the  whole  system  of  plays  has  made  some 
essential  progress.  The  familiar  game  of  the  apprentice 
and  master  workman  finds  here  not  only  a  place  quite 
suitable  for  it,  but  it  comes  forth  here  wholly  rejuvenated 
from  the  living  whole  of  the  plays,  and  as  a  new  thing. 
We  will  assume  that  there  are  four  children  of  about  the 
same  age  and  development.  The  first,  A  (for  example, 
Augustus),  begins  to  throw  the  ball  at  the  wall,  so  that  it 
rebounds  and  falls  into  his  hand,  held  open  to  catch 
it ;  he  sings,  meanwhile,  and  the  rest  accompany  him 

in  chorus : 

Tap,  tap,  tap ! 
Springing  from  the  wall  straight  back,* 
You  to  catch  will  well  please  me ; 
An  apprentice  then  I'll  be. 

One  after  another  of  the  four  players  takes  his  turn  in 
throwing  the  ball ;  those  who  could  not  catch  the  ball  but 
let  it  fall  to  the  ground  remain  mere  candidates,  and 
must  begin  anew  with  the  next  round  of  the  game.  We 
will  suppose  this  to  have  been  the  case  with  B  (for  exam- 
ple, Bernhard). 

Now  the  second  round  begins,  or,  in  other  words,  the 
new  contest.  The  first  player.  A,  sings ;  the  others  ac- 
company him,  singing,  or  merely  saying,  in  chorus : 

*  As  it  were,  by  its  own  volition. 


156         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

Tap,  tap,  tap ! 
Quickly  *  from  the  wall  spring  back ; 
You  to  catch  will  well  please  me  ; 
One  time,  two  times,  three  times,  four  times,  five  times, 
Then  a  journeyman  I'll  be. 

We  will  assume  A  to  have  also  here  again  fortunately 
succeeded  and  attained  the  rank  of  journeyman.  But  B, 
who  in  the  first  round  did  not  reach  the  rank  of  appren- 
tice, but  was  obliged  to  remain  in  the  rank  of  candidacy, 
must  now  begin  anew,  as  above  said,  and  we  will  assume 
that  he  now  attains  the  rank  of  apprentice. 

Now  steps  forward  C  (for  example,  Carl).  He  suc- 
ceeds likewise  as  did  A ;  for  he  arose  to  the  rank  of  an 
apprentice  in  the  first  game,  and  we  assume  that  he,  like 
A,  now  ascends  to  the  rank  of  journeyman.  D,  however, 
can  not  fulfill  the  requirements  for  admission  to  this  rank ; 
he  can  not  catch  the  ball  once  during  the  singing  of  the 
journeyman  song  ;  but  the  ball  sinks  to  the  ground  before 
the  song  is  ended,  and  hence  D  must  remain  in  the  rank 
of  apprentice.  A  and  C  alone  have  reached  the  journey- 
man stage. 

Now  begins  the  third  round.  A  again  steps  forth 
first.  The  others  accompany  him,  singing,  or  merely 
speaking ,  in  chorus  : 

Tap,  tap,  tap ! 
Springing  from  the  wall  far  back, 
You  to  catch  will  well  please  me ; 
One  time,  two  times,  three  times,  .  . .  ten  times, 
Then  I  can  a  master  be. 

And  A  has  now  actually  become  a  master.  B  must 
repeat  the  song  of  the  journeyman  stage  and  fulfill  its 
requirements,  which  D  must  also  afterward  do.     C  also 

*  As  if  quickening  its  motion  by  its  own  power. 


THE   DEVELOPMENT   OF  THE  CHILD.  157 

raises  himself  to  the  rank  of  master.  Thus  A  and  C  are 
now  masters^  B  and  D  journeymen. 

Now  begins  the  fourth  round. 

A  again  first  enters  the  lists ;  he  says  or  sings,  and  the 
others  accompany  him  in  chorus  : 

Tap,  tap,  tap  ! 
Springing  from  the  wall  high  up, 
You  to  catch  will  well  please  me. 
One  time,  two  times,  three  times,  .  .  .  twenty  times, 
A  head  master  then  I'll  be. 

But  A  has  not  fulfilled  the  requirement  of  the  song  ;  he 
yet  remains  at  the  master  stage. 

B  sings  the  master  song  and  rises  to  a  master. 

C  attains  the  head-master  stage.  D  only  can  not  ful- 
fill the  demands  of  the  master  stage,  but  remains  at  the 
journeyman  stage. 

What  an  image  of  life  is  now  given  to  the  child  in  this 
simple  play,  carried  out  only  in  its  pettiest  connections ! 
What  genuine  education  for  life,  and  what  an  education 
for  genuine  life  !  What  a  comprehensive  instruction 
about  life — about  true  life — taking  the  whole  human  be- 
ing into  consideration  !  What  an  exercise  for  life  as  it  is, 
and  is  to  be  !  Are  there  yet  directions  needed  as  to  the 
details?  Not  only  the  developed  but  the  harmoniously 
developed  strength,  not  only  the  dominion  over  the  out- 
ward but  the  unison  and  harmony  of  the  outward  with 
the  inward,  leads  to  the  beautiful  goal  of  life. 

But  that  the  plays  may  lead  to  this,  it  is  by  no  means 
sufficient  to  resign  the  plays  to  the  children ;  but  it  is 
above  all  quite  essential  that  the  spirit  of  these  pliays,  as 
in  general  the  genuine  spirit  of  all  plays  and  of  each  play, 
should  live  in  the  observant  mother  or  nurse,  and,  above 
all,  in  the  first  genuine  teacher.     For  only  on  condition 

% 


158         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

that  in  him  lives  the  genuine  spirit  of  play — i.  e.,  the  true 
spirit  of  life — will  he  call  it  forth  in  the  children.  Through 
this  even  the  very  neighborhood  of  such  a  teacher  has  an 
educating  effect — that  is  to  say,  it  acts  like  a  magnet, 
drawing  forth  the  nobleness,  elevation,  pure  humanity 
lying  in  the  disposition  of  the  child.  Therefore  now  all 
our  thoughts  and  efforts,  all  our  meditations  and  aspira- 
tions, should  be  directed  to  educating  and  training  moth- 
ers and  nurses  for  such  fostering  of  childhood  and  hu- 
manity. I  shall  be  obliged  to  return  to  this  subject  at 
the  close  of  this  article.  I  must  now,  first  of  all,  complete 
the  discussion  of  the  play  lying  before  us. 

That  not  only  the  strength  called  into  activity  leads  to 
the  constant  development  of  the  whole  life,  but  that  the 
strength  adjusted  in  every  direction  to  the  requirements 
of  life,  so  as  to  produce  a  harmony,  has  the  same  result, 
can  be  taught  to  the  child  by  the  simple  play  in  which 
the  ball  is  thrown  down  to  a  level  plane  surface,  and 
bounding  from  this  perpendicularly  into  the  air,  is  driven 
back  again  and  again  by  the  flat  hand  to  the  plane  sur- 
face. This  play  can  be  accompanied  by  the  words  sung 
or  spoken  by  the  child,  or  by  the  attentive  teacher : 

Spring  !  spring  I  spring ! 
You  are  a  brave  thing  ; 
On  the  ground  you  will  not  lie, 
Always  up  from  it  you  fly. 

Your  own  force 

Does,  of  course, 
Take  you  up  so  high. 

The  child  not  only  finds  outside  of  himself  in  play, 
indeed  by  his  play,  and  indeed  by  his  plaything  the  ball 
(although  it  be  a  so  called  lifeless  body),  that  use  of  the 
strength  increases  the  strength,  and  that  orderly  employ- 


THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  CHILD.  I59 

ment  of  the  strength  prolongs  its  use ;  but  he  perceives 
this  fact  of  his  own  accord,  and  as  a  fact  of  his  own 
nature,  and  not  merely  as  an  external  fact  limited  in  its 
application  to  his  play  or  to  his  plaything.  Therefore 
the  child  now  likes  to  sing  at  each  suitable  opportunity  to 
Its  ball,  playing  with  it  at  the  same  time  : 

How  much  ray  ball  I  prize  I 
My  strength  I  exercise — 
All  my  strength  on  thee. 
Joy  thou  bringest  me. 

To  catch  thee  I  must  try 
Quickly  to  spring,  and  high. 
If  I  can  succeed, 
I  am  glad,  indeed. 

When  to  catch  I'm  ready. 
Must  my  eye  be  steady. 
And,  in  glad  play,  see 
No  other  aim  than  thee. 

My  hollowed  hands  I  learn 
Always  to  thee  to  turn ; 
If  thou  dost  in  them  fall, 
How  glad  I  am,  my  ball ! 

How  much  my  ball  I  prize ! 
My  strength  I  exercise — 
All  my  strength  on  thee. 
Dear  ball,  stay  with  me  I 

Hence  the  meaning  of  the  play  is  to  apply  a  similar 
procedure  to  a  solution  of  the  highest  problem  of  life,  and 
to  hold  fast  the  one  high  purpose  amid  all  the  vicissitudes 
of  tiine  and  place. 

Little  as  it  has  been  possible  for  us  up  to  this  point  to 
present  an  exhaustive  or  complete  view  of  the  manifold 
details  of  the  plays  and  occupations  already  discussed  and 
tested  in  many  of  their  applications,  and  to  show  them  in 


160         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

their  influence  upon  the  whole  human  being,  in  their  de- 
veloping and  training  effects  on  the  human  being  as  a 
child,  yet  we  hope  that  we  have  proved  our  thesis  even 
through  this  brief  presentation  from  life,  since  it  is  de- 
rived clearly  and  unequivocally  as  a  strict  consequence 
from  our  insight  into  child  nature.  We  have  tried  to 
show  that  through  such  a  childhood  and  child  nurture  as 
that  here  aimed  at  and  mapped  out,  the  child  is  influ- 
enced, developed,  and  cultivated,  in  the  totality  of  his  na- 
ture and  in  the  all-sidedness  of  his  being  and  life.  You 
will  also  perceive  how,  through  this,  it  will  be  quite  suf- 
ficient for  the  purpose  of  the  education  of  children  (and 
this  is  the  only  true  purpose)  that  there  may  be  offered  to 
the  child  through  these  plays  and  occupations — that  is, 
through  the  free  sway  and  action  of  their  pure  and  unit- 
ing influence  (especially  in  the  earliest  and  first  founda- 
tions of  this  education),  and  in  such  a  form  that  he  may 
receive  it  into  his  life — all  that  we  always  yearn  to  obtain 
for  him  as  his  portion  on  his  long  life-path. 

It  is  therefore  impossible  for  us  longer  to  repress  the 
thought  and  wish  that  these  plays  might  be  an  undisputed 
possession  of  the  child-world.  And  then  with  this  the 
genuine  and  original  spirit  of  child  life,  and  of  humanity, 
could  make  itself  everywhere  free,  and  through  the  spirit 
of  these  plays  be  clearly  recognized. 

But  now  how  shall  we  reach  this  result  most  effectively 
and  easily,  and  at  the  same  time  make  sure  that  these 
plays  shall  be  also  the  possession  of  the  individual  fami- 
lies, and  that  their  spirit,  above  all,  may  be  the  spirit  of 
the  individual  family  life,  of  the  family  sitting-room  as 
well  as  of  the  nursery  ?  Even  through  the  introduction  of 
these  plays  and  occupations  into  the  numerous  infant 
schools  already  existing  in  many  places,  where  the  chil- 


THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  CHILD.  161 

dren  till  now  were  too  little  employed,  or  not  judiciously — 
that  is  to  say,  not  self-actively  enough.  Something  essen- 
tial could  be  gained  by  their  introduction  into  these  infant 
schools,  because  the  children  would  then  bring  these  fun- 
damental and  culture-giving  occupations  home  with  them 
from  the  school  and  introduce  them  into  the  family  life. 
These  would  serve  for  judicious  and  useful  self-occupation 
and  further  culture  for  themselves,  as  well  as  for  their  broth- 
ers and  sisters,  and  for  their  companions  and  playmates  ; 
and  these  things  would  even  be  worthy  of  the  notice  of  their 
parents.  However,  we  must  consider  these  plays  in  their 
reference  to  the  totality  of  human  development,  and  on 
account  of  their  pure  human  influence,  as  a  common  pos- 
session of  the  whole  child-world.  The  mere  introduction 
into  the  institutions  for  the  care  of  little  children,  and 
the  so-called  infant  schools  now  existing,  gi'eatly  as  its 
realization  is  to  be  desired  and  striven  for,  can  there- 
fore, in  many  respects,  especially  for  the  reasons  just 
given,  by  no  means  suffice.  But  these  plays  should  first 
of  all  become  a  common  possession  of  those  families 
whose  children  (so  greatly  needing  satisfactory  care  and 
nurture)  are  not  provided  for  by  such  institutions.  There- 
fore, in  such  places  as  are  pointed  out  by  the  demands  of 
life  as  well  as  by  the  favorableness  of  the  situation,  there 
should  be  established  by  the  union  of  intelligent  fami- 
lies blessed  with  children  of  the  proper  age,  such  institu- 
tions for  the  bodily  as  well  as  spiritual  nurture  of  the 
whole  period  of  infancy,  in  which  under  the  guidance  of 
one  trained  for  the  purpose,  the  activity  of  the  children 
should  be  carefully  fostered  and  nourished  in  the  way 
here  pointed  out,  although  at  first  only  during  a  few 
hours  of  the  day. 

The  children  will  thus  be  soon  fitted  quietly  to  carry 


162         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

out  and  apply  for  themselves,  although  under  the  eyes  of 
the  parents  at  home,  what  they  learned  in  the  institution. 
In  this  way  will  suitable  occupation  for  children  influ- 
encing the  life  of  the  child,  as  a  whole,  enter  the  families. 
But  in  the  families  themselves,  as  a  whole,  true  associated 
family  life,  which  is  in  itself  as  elevating  as  it  is  rejuve- 
nating, will  be  again  formed  by  the  new,  uniting,  instruct- 
ive, and  hence  entertaining,  things  which  the  children 
bring  home  from  this  institution  of  nurture  and  employ- 
ment. This  reformation  will  be  further  aided  by  the  sym- 
pathy which  (according  to  experience)  they  will  find  in 
the  parental  and  family  circle,  and  thus  the  family  will 
become  again  the  temple  and  sanctuary  for  the  nurture 
and  preservation  of  pure  human  life.  And  this  will  be 
made  sure  because  the  several  families  would  unite  them- 
selves in  this  associated  [ffemeinsam — describes  what  is 
done  for  a  mass  or  collective  whole  rather  than  for  a  sin- 
gle individual — hence  a  school]  nurture  of  life,  and  bring 
together  their  children  as  if  to  a  genuine  family  festival. 

Therefore  we  make  this  precise,  clear,  well-established 
proposition,  and — according  to  the  well-weighed  facts 
lying  before  us,  and  the  needs  of  the  children,  parents, 
and  families,  as  well  as  of  the  collective  whole  of  the  rela- 
tions of  life,  clearly  recognized  and  proved  by  us — we  most 
earnestly  summon  all  to  the  accomplishment  of  this  plan. 
Our  plan  is  this,  namely,  that  first  of  all,  in  the  cities 
best  adapted  to  the  purpose,  families  already  united  in 
themselves  and  by  their  nature,  inspired  by  the  same 
genuine  love  and  care  for  their  children,  feeling  them- 
selves humanly  connected  with  each  other,  having  a  re- 
ciprocal human  respect  for  one  another,  may  also  by  asso- 
ciation form  societies  for  the  establishment  of  institutions 
which  have  for  their  aim  and  the  point  of  union  of  their 


THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  CHILD.  1G3 

collective  life  the  careful  preservation  and  harmonious 
development  of  their  children,  especially  by  fostering 
their  impulse  for  activity  in  a  manner  worthy  of  hu- 
manity. The  beneficial  results,  the  blessings  of  such  in- 
stitutions for  the  domestic  as  well  as  for  the  public  life, 
for  the  life  of  the  citizen  as  well  as  for  that  of  common 
humanity,  would  be  quite  incalculable,  and  would  develop 
endlessly.  For  all  that  has  now  been  done  as  well  in  pub- 
lic life  as  in  private  associations  and  families  for  the  fos- 
tering care  of  childhood  ;  for  the  observation,  develop- 
ment, and  guidance  of  the  children  in  their  first  years  of 
life  and  up  to  the  proper  age  for  school,  suits  as  little  the 
present  state  of  human  development,  the  present  state  of 
social  and  civil  life,  as  it  suits  the  present  state  of  human 
knowledge  or  the  advance  of  science,  of  art,  and  of  the 
trades.  And  it  is  so  limited  in  respect  to  the  true  com- 
prehension of  the  totality  of  human  life,  in  regard  to  the 
means  of  development,  education,  and  training  which  are 
at  our  command,  that  the  necessary  means  must  be  sought 
to  provide  what  is  more  satisfactory  for  the  guidance  of 
children  from  their  first  childhood  up  to  the  commence- 
ment of  the  school  period.  But  this  means  is  simply  the 
voluntary  association  of  like-minded  families  to  form  07'- 
ganizations  in  order  to  afford  a  system  of  nurture  adapted 
to  the  guidance  and  employment  of  those  of  their  children 
who  are  not  yet  fit  for  school — in  short,  to  give  such  chil- 
dren all  that  which  they  must  require  in  accordance  with 
their  nature ;  and,  indeed,  what  the  parents  must  demand 
for  them,  in  conformity  with  the  needs  of  the  present  life. 
As  now  the  situation  of  all  the  relations  of  life,  with 
the  greatest  earnestness,  calls  upon  families  to  form  such 
united  organizations  for  the  associated  (gemeinsam)  guar- 
dianship and  guidance  of  their  younger  children,  brought 


164         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

together  for  the  purpose  at  least  for  a  few  hours  of  the 
day  ;  we  recognize  also  the  duty  on  our  part  to  work  with 
them  with  all  our  powers,  and  to  lend  them  a  helping 
hand  in  carrying  out  these  organizations  by  elaborating 
and  presenting  the  means  best  adapted  to  the  object,  as 
well  as  by  training  for  it  the  requisite  directors  and  teach- 
ers. It  therefore  not  only  lies  in  the  aim  of  this  joint 
undertaking  on  account  of  the  high  importance  of  the 
object,  but  it  even  makes  an  essential  part  of  it  to  call 
into  life  an  institution  for  the  education  or  preparation 
of  teachers  trained  for  the  care  of  childhood.  This  should 
be  founded  here  at  the  same  time  with  it — in  accordance 
with  the  needs  repeatedly  expressed  to  us  for  the  purpose 
often  indicated,  namely,  the  observation  of  the  life  of 
children,  and  the  preparation  of  teachers  through  this 
observation,  and  especially  through  fostering  their  tend- 
ency to  creative  activity  and  play — in  other  words,  their 
impulse  to  constantly  busy  themselves.  Therefore  this 
would  be  a  training  school  in  which  leaders  and  edu- 
cators can  directly  have  charge  of  a  number  of  children 
in  the  period  before  the  school  age,  and  for  the  inculca- 
tion of  the  first  elements  and  instruction  of  sense-percep- 
tion. We  will  therefore  willingly  impart  the  necessary 
information  to  parents,  and  especially  to  large  associations 
of  families  that  may  be  inclined  not  only  to  take  into 
earnest  consideration  the  ideas  here  expressed,  but  also 
to  carry  them  out.  We  would  explain  in  this  connection 
that  we  have  entered  into  association  with  women  and 
men  who  love  children  and  childhood  for  the  satisfactory 
and  comprehensive  execution  of  this  design.  We  have  a 
sufficient  number  of  children  of  suitable  age,  and,  in  addi- 
tion to  this,  the  means  required.  The  locality  chosen  for 
the  institution  is  situated  in  a  favorable  spot,  surrounded 


THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  CHILD.  165 

by  rich  and  beautiful  scenery,  and  the  power  of  a  pure, 
human,  associated  effort  will  essentially  favor  the  carrying 
out  of  the  idea  and  plan. 

May  the  idea  find  deeply  reaching  accord  as  well  as 
genuine  sympathy  in  its  behalf,  for  the  sake  of  the  welfare 
of  the  children  as  well  as  of  the  families ;  may  it  benefit 
entire  communities  and  the  entire  human  race,  and  thus 
prove  a  blessing  to  the  individual  as  well  as  to  the  whole ! 


XL 

THE   FOURTH   PLAY   OF  THE   CHILD. 
(See  Plates  VI,  VII,  VIII,  IX.) 

The  Child  ajud  the  Plat. 

Before  we  give  the  child  a  new  play,  a  new  means  of 
fostering  his  tendency  to  employment,  let  us  seek  to  make 
ourselves  familiar  with  the  exact  state  of  cultivation  to 
which  the  little  one  has  been  raised  by  the  means  of  de- 
velopment hitherto  provided  for  him,  and  with  the  further 
requirements  of  this  stage  of  cultivation.  Not  only  what 
we  give  hereafter  to  the  child  may  by  such  knowledge  be 
made  actually  to  exert  a  beneficial  influence  in  his  life,  but 
also  we,  as  conscious  givers,  may  know  what  onward  de- 
velopment is  to  be  effected  in  the  child  in  harmony  with 
the  development  of  his  whole  life  by  means  of  the  gift ; 
and  the  child  may  thus  confide  in  us  more  and  more,  may 
so  much  the  more  willingly  receive  our  gift,  and  so  much 
the  more  compliantly  take  it  into  his  life.  For  the  deep, 
though  to  the  child  himself  unconscious,  cause  of  angelic 
purity,  the  confidence,  peace,  and  joy  with  which  in  his 
yet  serene  childhood  he  receives  gifts  from  his  parents 
and  from  all  those  who  love  him,  is  that  he  trustingly 
feels  that  they  give  him  exactly  that  which  for  the  mo- 
ment is  beneficial  to  his  inner  as  well  as  to  his  outer  life ; 
they  do  not  give  him  a  hard  stone  instead  of  nourishing 
bread ;  they  do  not  give  him  a  poisonous  serpent  instead 


THE  FOURTH   PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  167 

of  the  joyous  fish  which  gayly  plays  in  the  water  and  in 
the  sun.  Parents,  nurses,  and  kindergartners  should  spare 
no  effort  to  preserve  this  childish  faith  and  confidence. 
Their  effort  should  be  the  more  strenuous  because  the 
child's  feelings,  are  on  the  one  hand,  unconscious,  uncon- 
firmed, and  unfortified,  and,  on  the  other,  because  precisely 
these  unconscious  feelings  are  the  soil  from  and  in  which 
sprout  forth  and  grow  the  most  beautiful  blossoms  and 
plants,  the  most  glorious  fruits  of  life. 

But  how  is  this  result  attained  ?  Manifestly  through 
the  child's  oft-repeated  experience  that  what  fatherly  care 
and  motherly  love  now  give  him  is  precisely  what  he 
needs  for  the  fostering  and  development  of  his  life ;  and, 
furthermore,  that  fatherly  wisdom  and  motherly  love 
know  how  to  adapt  to  his  present  condition  and  needs 
even  what  befalls  him  through  chance  or  accident.  But 
just  as  these  experiences  confirm  faith,  opposite  ones  de- 
stroy it.  If  parents  offer  to  the  child  at  any  stage  of  de- 
velopment either  what  he  does  not  then  need  (though  it 
be  intrinsically  good  and  useful),  or  if  they  offer  it  to  him 
in  a  form  wherein  he  is  unable  to  recognize  that  which 
has  a  beneficial  effect  upon  his  life,  they  will  inevitably 
weaken  and  indeed  destroy  (though  unconsciously  to  the 
child  himself)  his  belief  that  his  parents  bear  within 
themselves  his  whole  life,  and  that  they  are  interested  not 
so  much  in  the  outward  aspects  of  that  life  as  in  the 
child's  inner  nature  and  its  necessary  requirements.  Such 
a  course  of  action  has,  moreover,  other  and  even  more  in- 
jurious effects.  Through  the  child's  effort  to  repel  that 
which  is  contrary  to  the  needs  of  his  life,  indignation  and 
discontent  are  wakened  in  his  soul;  and,  on  the  other 
hand,  from  the  fact  that  his  normal  desires  are  ungrati- 
fied,  they  become  inordinate  and  mischievous. 


168         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

How  may  parents,  nurses,  and  kindergartners  obtain 
means  of  opposing  these  evil  results  ?  Most  satisfactorily 
through  a  threefold  and  yet  single  glance  at  life.  Let 
them  first  look  into  themselves  and  into  their  own  course 
of  development,  its  phenomena  and  requirements;  let 
them  recall  their  own  earliest  years,  and  their  later  stages 
of  development,  and  look  deeply  into  their  own  present 
life.  Next,  let  them  look  as  deeply  as  possible  into  the 
life  of  the  child,  and  into  what  he  must  necessarily  re- 
quire for  his  present  stage  of  development.  Having  recog- 
nized what  the  child  needs,  let  them  scrutinize  his  envi- 
ronment, and  observe,  first,  what  it  offers  and  does  not 
offer  for  the  fulfillment  of  such  requirements.  Let  them 
utilize  all  offered  possibilities  of  meeting  normal  needs ; 
and  when  such  needs  can  not  be  met,  let  them  recognize 
this  fact,  and  show  the  child  plainly  the  impossibility  of 
their  fulfillment.  Finally,  let  them  clearly  recognize  what- 
ever in  the  child's  environment  tends  to  waken  antagonism 
and  discontent,  to  remove  it  if  it  be  removable,  and  admit 
its  defect  if  it  be  not  removable. 

The  child  very  often  seeks  for  something  without  at 
all  knowing  what  he  seeks;  in  like  manner  he  repels 
something  without  at  all  knowing  why,  for  this  some- 
thing was  dear  to  him,  and  is  so  still  under  certain  con- 
ditions. Yet  the  child  does  not  for  this  reason  turn  away 
accidentally,  neither  does  he  seek  the  accidental ;  but  he 
seeks  that  which  is  indeed  unfamiliar  to  him  but  still 
suited  to  his  present  stage  of  development.  Generally,  it 
is  the  novel  for  which  he  seeks,  but  not  a  novelty  which 
has  no  connection  with  what  has  hitherto  been,  for  that, 
should  it  appear,  would  obstruct  development.  He  seeks 
the  new  which  has  developed  from  the  old,  like  the  bud 
from  the  branch.     The  child   seeks   a   new,  unexpected 


THE  FOURTH  PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  169 

turn ;  a  new,  unexpected  use  of  a  thing ;  new,  unexpected 
properties ;  new  and  yet  unconsciously  anticipated  de- 
velopments ;  a  new,  unexpected  connection  with  his  life ; 
and  thus,  above  all,  a  new  connection  of  his  life  with  that 
of  his  parents,  of  adults,  from  whom  he  hopes  for  and 
receives  suitable  life  fpod.  The  child  indeed  seeks  for  the 
new  that  is  outside  of  himself,  but  not  on  account  of  its 
externality.  Really  he  is  seeking  the  new,  of  which  he 
feels  premonitions  in  himself  in  his  own  development. 
Since,  however,  he  does  not  yet  know  this  and  so  can  not 
give  an  account  of  it,  the  child  seeks  especially  for  change, 
in  order,  as  has  already  been  intimated,  to  gain  a  means 
of  growing  up  within  himself  and  of  growing  forth  out- 
wardly from  himself. 

Above  all,  therefore,  it  is  the  old  within  the  child 
which  clarifies,  unfolds,  and  transmutes  itself,  thus  de- 
veloping that  which  is  new.  The  whole  process  takes 
place  according  to  a  definite  law  resting  in  the  child  him- 
self, in  his  life,  in  life  as  such.  Hence  it  is  that  the  child 
unconsciously  (yet  for  this  very  reason  positively)  de- 
mands that  not  only  all  may  unfold  around  him  accord- 
ing to  definite  laws,  but  that  this  external  development 
shall  make  known  to  him  its  law,  and  thus  the  law  of  his 
own  life,  the  union  or  opposition  of  the  two,  and  conse- 
quently the  higher  relativity  of  life. 

But  for  the  attainment  of  all  this  it  is,  as  already 
stated,  necessary  that  educators  should  always  carry  in 
themselves,  as  a  whole,  the  course  of  development,  the 
course  of  cultivation  of  the  child. 

But  now  how  has  the  child  developed  up  to  this  point? 
How  have  the  world,  the  objects,  and  things  around  him 
developed? 

How  has  the  child  developed  himself ,  especially  through 

% 


170         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

the  means  of  play  and  employment  whicli  have  thus  far 
been  given  to  him  ? 

The  brightening  light  in  the  child's  mind  illuminates 
the  objects  around  him.  In  proportion,  therefore,  as  the 
inner  light  increases,  the  nature  of  external  objects  grows 
clear  to  him.  In  proportion  as  he  perceives  in  his  own 
life  a  definite  course  of  development,  and  recognizes  it  as 
a  law  of  development — in  proportion  as  he  perceives  in 
his  own  life  a  process  of  development — he  will  recognize  a 
process  of  development  in  things  around  him.  In  pro- 
portion as  he  learns  to  reason  from  effect  to  cause  and 
from  cause  to  effect  within  himself,  will  he  recognize 
causality  in  the  external  world.  In  proportion  as  he 
recognizes  within  himself  that  the  course  of  development 
indicates  a  law  of  development,  will  he  recognize  this  law 
in  its  external  manifestations.  This  process  and  law  of  de- 
velopment is  no  other  than  that  of  progression  from  the 
unlimited  to  the  limited,  from  the  general  to  the  special, 
from  unity  to  individuality,  from  embryonic  to  structural 
life,  from  the  whole  to  the  part,  from  an  undifferentiated 
to  a  membered  totality. 

In  conformity  with  this  law  the  child  has  been  edu- 
cated up  to  this  point  through  the  gifts  already  consid- 
ered ;  for  the  education  which  brings  peace  and  blessing 
to  children  and  to  human  beings  in  general  is  that  which 
early  suggests  the  truth  that  the  outer  world  in  its  es- 
sence does  not  hinder  but  helps  the  life  of  the  soul.  Such 
help,  however,  is  realized  only  in  proportion  as  the  inner 
and  outer  worlds  are  comprehended  in  their  essence,  their 
destiny,  and  their  polar  opposition.  Thus  understood, 
the  outer  world  not  only  corresponds  wholly  to  the  re- 
quirements of  the  inner  world,  but  even  comes  to  meet 
them,  and  represents  the  inner  world  in  and  through  itself. 


THE  FOURTH   PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  I7I 

The  man  advanced  in  insight  should  be  as  clear  as 
possible  in  his  own  mind  about  all  this  before  he  intro- 
duces his  pupil  or  his  child  into  the  outer  world.  Even 
when  he  gives  the  child  a  plaything  he  must  make  clear 
to  himself  its  purpose,  and  the  purpose  of  playthings  and 
occupation  material  in  general.  This  purpose  is,  to  aid 
the  child  to  freely  express  what  lies  within  him — to  bring 
phenomena  of  the  outer  world  nearer  to  him,  and  thus  to 
serve  as  mediator  between  the  mind  and  the  world. 

Recognizing  the  mediatorial  character  of  play  and 
playthings,  we  shall  no  longer  be  indifferent  either  to  the 
choice,  the  succession,  or  the  organic  connection  of  the 
toys  we  give  to  children.  In  those  I  offer  them  I  shall 
consider  as  carefully  as  possible  how  the  child  may,  in 
using  them,  unfold  his  nature  freely  and  yet  in  accord- 
ance with  law,  and  how  through  such  use  he  may  also 
learn  to  apprehend  external  things  correctly  and  employ 
them  justly. 

As  the  child's  first  consciousness  of  self  was  born  of 
physical  opposition  to  and  connection  with  the  external 
world,*  so  through  the  play  with  the  ball  the  external  world 
itself  began  to  rise  out  of  chaos  and  assume  definiteness.  In 
recognizing  the  ball  the  child  moved  from  the  indefinite  to 
the  definite,  from  the  universal  to  the  particular,  from  mere 
externality  to  a  self-included,  space-filling  object.  In  the 
ball,  especially  through  the  movement^  through  the  oppo- 
sites  of  rest  and  motion,  through  departing  and  return- 
ing, the  object  came  forth  out  of  general  space  as  a  spe- 
cial space-filling  object,  as  a  body  ;  just  as  the  child,  by 
means  of  his  life,  also  perceives  himself,  his  corporeal 
frame,  as  a  space-filling  object,  as  a  lody.     The  child  has 

*  See,  in  Mutter  und  Kose  Lieder,  The  Kicking  Song. 
14  ^ 


172         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEK. 

thus  obtained  two  important  terms  of  comparison  for  his 
first  intellectual  development :  body  and  body,  object  and 
object.  But  just  on  that  account  it  is  by  no  means  un- 
important what  kind  of  an  object,  what  kind  of  a  body  is 
given  to  the  child  for  comparison — that  is,  for  play  and 
playing.  He  feels  and  perceives  himself  as  life ;  so  he 
may  and  does  perceive  the  ball  at  least,  outside  of  himself 
in  motion  and  as  motion. 

At  the  same  time  there  begins  in  the  child,  as  in  a 
seed-corn,  a  development  advancing  toward  manifoldness. 
For  this  reason  he  should  receive  a  corresponding  seed- 
corn  in  the  object  which  he  first  detaches  as  object  from 
the  external  chaos.  Such  object  should,  like  himself,  in- 
clude an  indefinite  manifoldness,  and  be  susceptible  of  a 
progressive  development.     Such  an  object  is  the  ball. 

The  second  gift  consists  of  a  sphere  and  cube,  and 
illustrates  the  idea  of  a  self-opposed  unity.  Through  the 
simplest  of  contrasting  forms  it  calls  the  child's  attention 
to  differences  of  form.  In  the  sphere  is  accentuated  unity 
of  form,  yet  it  has  the  three  dimensions  of  space  and 
contains  the  possibility  of  the  threefold  division  which 
the  cube  makes  outwardly  manifest.  Thus  the  sphere 
illustrates  the  undeveloped  unity  of  form ;  the  cube,  the 
differentiation  of  form.  This  second  gift,  moreover,  re- 
tains and  develops  the  movableness  already  illustrated 
with  the  ball,  and,  what  is  particularly  interesting,  devel- 
ops it  chiefly  through  exercises  with  the  very  body  (the 
cube)  which  in  its  form  embodies  the  idea  of  rest.  (Com- 
pare section  53.) 

In  the  cube,  divided  once  through  the  middle  parallel 
with  its  sides  in  all  three  directions,  and  so  into  eight 
parts,  each  of  the  qualities  of  the  whole  or  principal  cube 
is  shown  eight  times  (achtmal)  ;  thus  requiring  (as  we  be- 


THE   FOURTH   PLAY   OF  THE  CHILD.  173 

fore  explained  this  numerical  word),  to  rightly  consider 
(achten)  [one  of  FroebePs  etymologies  or  puns]  each  of 
these  qualities.  Thus  the  three  different  kinds  of  inner 
directions  (surface,  edge,  and  corner  direction)  come  forth 
very  remarkably  by  means  of  the  divided  cube ;  but,  above 
all,  the  three  principal  directions^  the  three  surface  direc- 
tions which  stand  at  right  angles  to  each  other.  These 
three  directions,  however,  are  still  undistinguished  by 
difference  of  dimension,  and  no  inner  variety  is  brought 
to  light.  Hence,  hy  and  through  them,  each  can  be 
placed  in  the  position  of  the  other.  Through  the  build- 
ing and  grouping  of  these  eight  component  cubes,  how- 
ever, there  is  temporarily  manifest  a  difference  between 
the  three  principal  directions  standing  at  right  angles  to 
each  other,  as  lengthy  breadth^  and  height  (or  as  length, 
breadth,  and  thickness),  but  as  abiding  properties  deter- 
mining the  form  these  differences  of  dimension  are  still 
lacking.     (Compare  section  7,  page  1.) 

Hence  a  new  gift  is  demanded — a  gift  wherein  the 
length,  breadth,  and  thickness  of  a  solid  body  shall  be  dis- 
tinguished from  each  other  by  difference  of  size.  Such  a 
gift  will  open  the  child's  eyes  to  the  three  dimensions  of 
space,  and  will  serve  also  as  a  means  of  recognizing  and 
interpreting  the  manifold  forms  and  structures  with 
which  he  is  constantly  brought  in  contact.  Such  a  'gift 
is  the  cube  divided  into  eight  equal  oblong  prisms  or 
parallelepipeds.  This  is,  therefore,  the  fourth  gift  of  the 
means  of  play  and  employment,  which  now  follows. 
Through  this  gift  the  child  receives  a  fixed  measure  both 
for  permanent  and  vanishing  forms,  and  thus  he  is  able 
to  produce  a  richer  variety  of  figures  and  to  recognize 
them  in  the  forms  which  surround  him.  Hence  the  new 
gift  corresponds  both  to  his  increasing  constructive  ability, 


174         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

and  to  his  growing  capacity  to  comprehend  the  external 
world. 

We  beg  those  parents  and  friends  who  have  atten- 
tively followed  us  up  to  this  point  in  the  presentation  of 
our  means  of  employment  for  children  to  pause  here  a 
moment,  in  order  to  notice  the  simplicity  and  certainty 
with  which  the  process  of  development  that  has  been 
recognized  as  true  is  followed  out,  and  the  conditions  of 
satisfactory  human  education  fulfilled. 

One  of  the  fundamental  principles  of  such  a  process 
of  development  is  that  each  object  given  must  condition 
the  one  which  follows ;  each  new  gift  fulfills  and  interprets 
its  predecessor,  by  making  explicit  what  it  implied.  The 
child  must  receive  no  new  gift  which  was  not  suggested 
by  that  which  preceded  it,  neither  must  we  require  of  him 
anything  not  conditioned  by  his  previous  achievements. 
Both  these  requirements  find  themselves  wholly  fulfilled 
in  the  sequence  of  gifts  furnished  up  to  this  point,  as  has 
been  already  definitely  shown  in  many  points  of  view  in 
the  foregoing  pages. 

Another  requirement  of  a  satisfactory  human  educa- 
tion is  this :  that  each  object  shall  appear  to  the  child  as  a 
self-included  whole,  and  at  the  same  time,  through  a  many- 
sided  connection,  as  a  part  of  a  greater  whole.  This  re- 
quifement  is  also  met  clearly  in  each  of  the  means  of  play 
hitherto  furnished  ;  each  is  in  itself  a  complete  whole ; 
each  stands  in  active  connection  with  those  which  precede 
and  follow  it ;  each  bears  them  partially  within  itself, 
presents  them  from  itself,  and -can  develop  them. 

Another  fundamental  idea  is,  that  all  knowledge  and 
comprehension  of  life  are  connected  with  making  the  in- 
ternal external,  the  external  internal,  and  with  perceiving 
the  harmony  and  accord  of  both.    As  the  sphere  (and  still 


THE  FOURTH   PLAY  OP  THE  CHILD.  1Y5 

more  the  cube),  makes  more  aad  more  externally  percepti- 
ble its  own  internal  being,  and  that  of  other  objects  (for 
example,  middle  and  directions,  etc.),  so,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  child  through  its  use  learns  to  recognize  both 
its  own  internal  characteristics  and  the  internal  charac- 
teristics of  external  objects  in  general,  and  through  such 
recognitions  rises  into  knowledge  of  the  world  and  of 
himself. 

What  a  quiet,  clear  advance  in  the  development  of  the 
child,  as  well  as  in  the  unfolding  of  the  outer  world,  is 
thus  given  !  How  would  it  be  possible  to  render  promi- 
nent on  all  sides  even  an  intimation  of  it  in  its  particulars  ? 

The  Cube  divided  ikto  Eight  Building  Blocks — 
THE  Fourth  Gift  of  the  Series— its  Nature. 

Plaything  and  play  receive  a  quite  new  significance 
by  the  above-given  alteration,  which  is  not  only  simple 
but  even  almost  insignificant — namely,  that  the  inner  dif- 
ference, intimated  in  the  three  perpendicular  axes  of  the 
cube  (and  the  sphere),  now  becomes  externally  visible  and 
abiding  in  each  of  its  building  blocks  as  a  difference  of 
size. 

While  the  forms  produced  with  the  preceding  gift 
were  massive  and  space-filling,  those  produced  with  the 
fourth  gift  incline  toward  surface  forms,  may  be  given 
either  a  horizontal  or  vertical  position,  and  are  space- 
bounding  and  inclosing. 

These  forms  are  also  divided  into  forms  of  life^  of^ 
heauty^  and  of  knowledge.     Especially  in  comparison  with   / 
the  forms  of  the  preceding  play,  the  latter  have  the  pecul- 
iarity that  they  show  more  the  extension  of  surface  and 
length ;  'yet  all  forms — a  few  square  surfaces  excepted — 
are  confined  to  rectangles.     Thus  the  relations  of  form 


176         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 


1 


and  size  of  the  square  and  rectangle  especially  are  here 
presented  to  the  perception.  (Compare  Plate  VI,  which 
contains  about  half  of  these  forms.)  In  addition  to  these, 
two  more  new  phenomena  come  forth  with  this  play: 
these  are  equilibrium  and  self-propagating  movement. 

Use  of  the  Play. 

Necessity,  accident,  or,  in  short,  free  play  as  such,  re- 
ceives here  also  its  due.  The  only  requirement  is  that  a 
name  be  quickly  given  to  what  has  originated  under  the 
hand  of  the  child.  The  name  defines  the  object  produced 
by  connecting  it  with  something  familiar.  Thus  the  first 
forms  are  often  a  small  house,  a  room,  a  table,  chairs  and 
benches,  etc.  But  pleasure  is  given  even  by  merely  build- 
ing up  the  blocks  so  that  the  form  may  be  kept  in  place 
by  equilibrium  and  gravity  ;  and  it  is  then  a  high  tower,  or 
perhaps  the  staircase,  which  pleases  the  child.  He  is  also 
pleased  by  the  fact  tliat  what  is  built  up  separates  easily 
into  its  parts  again.  Let  no  one  doubt  that  the  child's 
inner  development  is  furthered  by  these  building  exercises, 
though  no  abiding  result  in  the  way  of  outward  represen- 
tation is  obtained.  By  this  building  the  child  compre- 
hends the  form  and  use  of  the  single  part  just  in  propor- 
tion as  he  receives  into  himself  an  abundance  of  perceptions 
and  conceptions.  We  must,  however,  never  forget  to  talk 
with  the  child  about  what  he  does,  or  at  least  designate 
the  result  clearly  and  precisely,  with  suitable  words,  so 
that  through  the  name  the  child's  thought  may  be 
aroused,  and  he  may  never  play  heedlessly  even  when  he 
plays  alone.  In  other  words,  let  us  form  such  habits  of 
attention  that  the  child  will  never  play  without  precisely 
grasping  and  comprehending  inwardly  what  he  has  out- 
wardly represented. 


THE  FOURTH  PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.     177 

As  all  representations  are  connected  with  an  inner 
precise  condition^  so  here.  This  condition  is  simply  iXvdt 
before  expressed,  that  for  every  representation,  whether 
simple  or  compound,  whether  the  parts  are  connected  or 
separate  (as,  for  example,  a  monument,  a  garden  wall,  or 
a  village),  all  the  blocks  should  be  used,  or,  at  least,  be 
put  in  connection  with  the  form.  The  aim  of  this  con- 
dition also,  as  has  been  already  clearly  stated,  is  manifold  : 
firstly,  that  the  child  should  not  busy  himself  thoughtlessly^ 
but  should  have  in  view  a  definite  aim  for  his  action,  or 
at  least  be  incited  to  perceive  an  aim ;  secondly,  that  he 
should  view  the  object  to  be  represented  in  many-sided 
references  and  connections,  which  is  necessary  when,  for 
example,  an  unused  block  is  to  be  put  in  necessary  con- 
nection with  the  object  already  represented ;  thirdly,  and 
lastly,  that  the  child  should  employ  all  the  material  before 
him,  and  leave  nothing  unconsidered  and  unused.  Through 
fulfilling  these  conditions  the  child  develops  on  the  one 
hand  his  powers  of  perception  and  conception,  and  on  the 
other  the  more  spiritual  powers  of  fantasy  and  inner  con- 
templation. 

We  have  above  stated  that  necessity,  accident,  or  free 
play  determines  the  first  use  of  the  new  gift.  We  will 
now  indicate  the  next  thing  to  be  done.  The  mother 
takes  the  play-box,  reverses  it,  placing  it  with  the  cover 
on  the  table,  draws  out  the  cover  from  under  the  box  and 
raises  up  the  latter,  so  that  the  cube  (Fig.  1,  Plate  VI) 
stands  before  the  child.  The  representations  may  be  most 
satisfactorily  made  on  a  board  or  paper  provided  with  a 
square  network,  each  side  of  the  square  being  of  the  same 
size  or  length  as  the  width  of  a  building  block.  The 
mother  transforms  the  cube,  as  she  speaks,  into  a  fireplace 
in  the  kitchen,  at  which  she  prepares  the  soup  for  the 

A 


178         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

hungry  child  and  cooks  the  food  for  the  father  when  he 
comes  from  his  work.  The  fire  burns  in  the  middle  of 
the  fireplace,  on  the  fire-iron.  One  can  go  round  the  fire- 
place in  order  to  poke  the  fire  better,  in  order  to  cook  the 
food  more  carefully. 

The  soup  is  ready,  the  food  is  cooked.  The  mother 
and  child  give  the  fireplace  a  push,  and  it  separates  into 
stones  for  building.  The  fireplace  consists  of  building 
stones  of  equal  size. 

The  child  wants  the  soup.  The  father  comes ;  he  de- 
sires to  eat,  but  there  is  no  table.  The  material  is  imme- 
diately changed  ;  the  building  stones  become  building 
blocks^  or  boards,  and  there  stands  the  table  (Plate  VI,  Fig. 
11).  But  the  bench  is  now  lacking ;  the  chairs^  the  benches 
are  wanted,  so  that  the  mother,  with  the  child  and  the 
father,  may  sit  down  to  eat.  The  table  (Fig.  11)  is 
generally  too  large,  and  one  half  of  it  (or  rather  one 
half  of  its  material)  is  quickly  changed  to  a  bench 
(compare  Fig.  14,  Plate  VII)  or  to  two  such  benches. 
On  the  one  bench  the  father  sits  and  eats  his  food;  on 
the  other  the  mother  sits  with  the  child  and  gives  it 
its  soup. 

Again,  the  fireplace  is  separated  into  parts ;  the  ma- 
terial does  not  change.  It  is  summer ;  it  is  a  beautiful 
warm  evening.  The  child  plays  in  the  yard  at  the  stone 
table  or  on  the  stone  benches  (Plate  VII,  Fig.  19).  The 
father  comes  and  sits  down  by  the  child;  the  mother 
brings  him  his  food  and  the  child  its  soup.  On  the 
bench  at  the  right  the  father  sits;  upon  the  one  at  the 
left  the  mother  sits  with  the  child.  The  mother  tells 
the  father  how  nicely  the  child  has  played,  how  quietly 
he  has  occupied  himself  with  his  blocks,  and  thus  given 
her  time  to  prepare  the  food.     The  father  brings  the 


THE  FOURTH   PLAY   OF  THE  CHILD.  179 

child  a  beautiful  blue  flower  from  the  field.     "  See,  dear 
child,  here  is  the  flower." 

Or,  again,  another  time  the  stone  table  and  benches  are 
viewed  as  a  turf-table  and  benches ;  they  stand  now,  not 
in  the  yard  but  in  the  garden.  When  the  father  hears 
that  the  child  has  pleased  his  mother,  he  goes  and  picks 
for  him  the  beautiful  red  flower  which  nodded  to  him  so 
kindly. 

As  two  benches  (Plate  VII,  Fig.  13)  were  formed  from 
the  one  half  of  the  large  table  (Plate  VI,  Fig.  11),  so  two 
more  benches  are- now  made  from  the  other  half.  In  the 
middle  of  the  garden  is  a  round  plat ;  around  this  stand 
four  lenches  turned  toward  it  (Plate  VII,  Fig.  20).  See  ! 
five  little  children  are  playing  "  Rooms  to  let."  One  child 
asks  now  of  one,  now  of  another,  "  Is  there  no  room  to  be 
had?"  "No  chamber  to  let?"  "Is  no  place  open?" 
"  All  are  occupied."  See !  there  two  neighbors  change 
places,  and  the  questioner  has  quickly  taken  the  place  of 
one  of  them. 

Another  time  the  children  play  "  Visiting."  Each  of 
the  benches  or  seats  becomes  a  little  house.  Or,  again, 
the  child  builds  itself  a  little  house  or  open  garden-hut 
(Plate  VII,  Fig.  23).  Visits  are  paid  or  received  ;  or  the 
mother  sits  with  the  child  in  one  corner.  Either  she  tells 
him  something  about  the  carpenter  or  joiner  who  has  built 
the  house  of  boards  and  laths,  and  made  it  so  strong  that 
they  can  sit  in  it  quietly,  or  the  tired  child  sleeps  in  the 
mother's  arms  or  on  her  lap,  and  she  sings  to  him  a  little 
slumber-song : 

The  child  has  tired  itself  of  play ; 

Its  eyelids  droop  at  close  of  day ; 

It  lies  upon  its  mother's  breast, 

To  children  a  sweet  place  of  rest, 
Willingly — j^s,  willingly  I 


180         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

Another  time,  the  mother  goes  to  walk  with  the  child 
in  the  garden  ;  but  the  wind  blows  strongly,  the  rain  beats 
down ;  so  she  hurries  with  the  child  into  the  "  opened 
garden-hut."  That  has  doors,  which  the  mother  can  shut. 
Now  both  are  safe,  for  the  hut  has  a  roof,  so  that  it  can 
not  rain  in,  and  doors,  so  that  the  wind  can  not  drive  the 
rain  in. 

In  like  manner,  if  some  manifestation  of  the  child 
gives  occasion  thereto,  the  fact  may  be  brought  out  that 
the  wooden  benches  and  chairs  have  backs,  but  the  stone 
and  turf  benches  have  none. 

It  is  quite  important  for  the  child,  and  it  greatly 
pleases  him,  to  notice  how  one  object  springs  from  another, 
and  can  be  turned  into  another ;  for  example,  a  table  (Fig. 
11)  into  a  table  and  tivo  benches  (Fig.  13) ;  these  into  four 
benches  (Fig.  20),  etc.  Through  such  transformations 
"  the  bench  with  high  back  and  arms  "  may  be  produced 
from  the  throne  (Plate  VII,  Fig.  22) ;  from  this  bench 
may  be  made  the  bench  with  back,  arms,  and  foot-rest ; 
from  this,  again,  the  open  garden-hut,  etc.  This  chang- 
ing one  thing  into  another,  and  so  being  able  to  see  one 
in  another,  is  what  gives  the  children  pleasure  and  brings 
life  into  their  employment  and  play.  The  anticipation  of 
a  certain  necessary  inner  coherence  in  the  thing,  whether 
it  be  in  its  form  or  in  its  purpose — this  manifold  percep- 
tion of  a  certain  inner  life  throughout — not  only  awakens, 
but  fosters  and  forms  the  life  of  the  child.  Isolation  and 
exclusion  destroy  life ;  union  and  participation  create  life. 

But  living  objects  also  may  be  represented  with  the 
blocks ;  for  example,  "  six  blocks  form  an  avenue ;  father 
and  mother,  brothers  or  sisters,  go  to  walk  in  it."  Another 
time,  "  two  blocks,  laid  one  on  another,  with  their  broad 
sides  touching,  form  a  cow,  or  one  standing  alone,  a  calf ; 


THE  FOURTH  PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  181 

in  the  same  manner,  three  or  more  blocks  form  a  horse 
and  its  colt;  two  blocks  joined  like  a  cross  represent  a 
herdsman" — thus  the  child  has  the  herd  and  herdsman. 
Then  the  herd  may  be  driven  in,  and  presto,  change,  six 
blocks  form  the  stable  with  two  stalls ;  the  two  remain- 
ing blocks  are  two  cows,  etc. 

These  representations  are,  indeed,  not  found  on  the 
lithograph  leaves,  but  we  indicate  them  up  here  in  order  to 
show  how  life  itself  may  be  connected  with  and  represented 
by  inanimate  objects.  The  scope  of  this  work  makes  it 
unwise  to  enter  into  further  detail  with  regard  to  the  life 
forms  which  may  be  produced  with  the  fourth  gift  In 
the  actual  use  of  this  gift  with  children  many  more  forms 
will  be  produced;  indeed,  they  have  already  been  pro- 
duced, and  shall  be  indicated  hereafter. 

That  the  salient  characteristics  and  organic  members 
of  the  life  forms  may  be  thrown  into  relief  by  means  of 
stories  and  talks  we  have  already  sufficiently  shown,  both 
in  connection  with  this  gift  and  with  the  third  gift.  What 
has  been  written  should,  however,  be  carefully  connected 
with  actual  use  of  the  gift,  and  this  is  especially  important 
in  those  cases  where  a  moving  force  is  manifested  out- 
wardly, as  equilibrium  or  as  self-propagating  activity. 
Self-propagating  activity,  moreover,  may  be  simple  or  in 
one  single  direction,  divided  or  having  different  direc- 
tions. It  may  also  be  uniform  or  accelerating.  [Froebel 
is  referring  to  those  exercises  with  the  fourth  gift  where, 
by  arranging  the  blocks  in  different  groups  and  striking 
the  first  block  of  each  group,  force  is  passed  along  a 
straight  line,  around  a  circle,  etc.] 

Let  us  now  turn  to  a  new  consideration — to  the  ob- 
servation of  the  forms  of  knowledge. 

The  whole  eight  building  blocks  of  the  fourth  gift, 


182         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 


I 


taken  collectively,  resemble  the  cube  of  the  third  gift; 
therefore  its  parts  (as  can  be  seen  at  the  first  glance)  sepa- 
rate into  equal  and  proportional  parts.  This  fact  is  made 
yet  more  manifest  by  the  play  with  the  blocks.  Thus  the 
one  bench  (Plate  VI,  Fig.  12)  is  divided  into  two  equal 
benches  (Plate  VII,  Fig.  14),  and  the  bench  with  the  foot- 
rest  (Fig.  15)  into  the  two  equal  benches  with  foot-rests 
(Fig.  17);  likewise  the  table  (Plate  VI,  Fig.  11)  into  two 
halves,  of  which  the  one  gives  again  a  table,  while  the 
outer  half  appears  divided  into  two  halves  in  the  two 
chairs  or  benches  (Fig.  13).  So,  the  fourth  gift  illustrates 
almost  the  same  relations  of  size  as  the  cube  divided  once 
through  the  middle  on  all  sides,  or,  in  other  words,  with 
the  third  gift.  Should  the  relations  of  size,  learned  by 
observation  and  abstracted  from  the  forms  of  life,  be 
looked  at  purely  as  relations  of  size,  they  would  appear  in 
the  fourth  gift  more  as  relations  of  surface  and  its  exten- 
sion, while  with  the  third  gift  they  appeared  as  extension 
of  solids  and  as  relations  of  solids.  (Compare  Plate  VIII.) 
The  "  high  wall "  (Plate  VI,  Fig.  8),  which  one  can 
think  of  when  lying  on  the  horizontal  surface  as  a 
"  floor "  and  can  actually  place  thus  before  the  child, 
makes  the  easiest  transition  from  forms  of  life  to  forms 
of  knowledge.  The  treatment  of  these  forms  has  been 
already  shown  in  general  in  the  illustrative  exercises  with 
the  third  gift.  The  fourth  gift,  however,  throws  into  re- 
lief the  perception  of  size  by  showing  similarity  of  size 
with  dissimilarity  of  dimension  and  position.  For  exam- 
ple, the  gift  as  a  whole  may  be  shown  first  as  a  cube  (Plate 
VI,  Fig.  1),  then  as  a  tablet  (Plate  VIII,  Fig.  1).  Changes 
such  as  these  between  the  representations  of  solids  and 
surfaces  give  the  fourth  gift  a  peculiar  charm  for  the 
child : 


THE  FOURTH   PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  183 

As  cube  I  stand  here  in  my  place ; 
.  As  surface  now,  I  show  my  face, 
Yet  always  am  the  same — 
I  like  this  pretty  game. 
Now  without  delay 
Divide  me  in  your  play; 
Making  fleetly, 
But  yet  neatly. 
Two  quite  equal  parts. 

While  the  mother  or  kindergartner  sings  this  [or  some 
better]  rhyme,  she  divides  the  whole  cube  by  one  motion 
into  two  equal  parts.  The  division  may  be  made  either 
vertically  or  horizontally.  In  both  cases  the  result  is  the 
production  of  two  square  prisms,  the  positions  of  which  vary 
according  to  the  manner  of  division.  While  the  mother 
represents  these,  she  sings  in  the  person  of  the  square  to 

the  child : 

From  above  if  you  divide  me, 
Both  the  halves  will  be  upright ; 
Straight  across  if  you  divide  me, 
Halves  recumbent  meet  your  sight. 
In  position  not  the  same ; 
But  in  size  they  are  the  same. 
Each  is  like  the  other  half. 

If  one  now  wishes  to  represent  more  strikingly  to  the 
child  that  the  size  and  form  remain  the  same  in  different 
positions,  one  places  the  halves  with  their  broad  sides  now 
upon  one  another,  thus  doubling  their  height ;  now  side 
by  side,  thus  doubling  their  length.  In  both  cases  the 
action  is  interpreted  by  song  : 

Place  one  half  upon  one  half,* 

The  form  is  high,  we  see. 

Lay  one  half  beside  one  half  (Plate  VIII,  Fig.  8), 

A  long  form  this  must  be ; 

*  This  illustration  is  lacking  in  the  plates. 


184         PEDAGOGICS  OF   THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

Yet  equal  form  and  size  do  show 
In  each  position,  as  we  know. 

The  upright  rectangle  may  also  be  turned  by  degrees 
on  the  horizontal  plane,  as  it  were,  around  its  middle,  or 
like  the  hand  of  a  clock  or  watch  around  one  of  its  ends, 
till  it  assumes  the  horizontal  position. 

Whether  I  am  high  or  low, 
Equal  form  and  size  I  show. 

Then  different  form  with  equal  size : 

Place  one  half  before  a  half, 

It  shows  the  square  complete  (Plate  VIII,  Figs.  3,  5). 

Place  the  half  beside  the  half. 

And  an  oblong  shape  we  meet  (Plate  VIII,  Figs.  8,  9). 

Though  different  the  forms  may  be, 
An  equal  size  in  each  we  see. 

That  objects  identical  in  form  and  size  may  be  pro- 
duced in  different  ways  may  also  be  illustrated  in  the  play 
with  the  fourth  gift.  The  child's  attention  should  be 
called  to  all  these  features  of  his  play  2^^  perceptible  facts, 
and  nothing  should  be  passed  over  heedlessly. 

Place  a  half  beside  a  half, 

It  shows  the  square  complete  (Plate  VIII,  Figs.  2,  5). 

Place  a  half  before  a  half, 

A  square  form  still  we  meet  (Plate  VIII,  Figs.  3,  6). 

Though  made  in  different  ways,  'tis  clear 
Equal  the  size  and  form  appear. 

A  new  variation  of  these  exercises  may  be  made  by 
dividing  the  square  prism  into  two  equal  halves  and  giving 
to  one  a  vertical,  to  the  other  a  horizontal  position.  The 
two  may  then  be  compared  with  one  another : 


THE  FOURTH  PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  185 

Now  1  will  give  you  something  new, 

Something  you  will  like  to  do : 

Tvnce  as  long  and  half  as  wide  (Plate  VIII,  Fig.  3), 

Half  as  long  and  twice  as  wide  (Plate  VIII,  Fig.  2), 

The  same  size  are  we  two  (Plate  VIII,  Figs.  6,  8). 

From  this  representation  of  the  whole  as  a  square 
tablet^  from  halving  it  in  two  different  ways,  and  from 
the  different  possible  combinations  of  these  halves,  it  is 
evident  that  the  fourth  gift  offers  a  far  greater  number 
of  forms  of  knowledge  than  its  predecessor.  The  plates 
illustrating  this  gift  show  a  much  greater  variety  of 
forms  than  is  indicated  in  the  text ;  and  in  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  gift  others  will  be  mentioned.  The  hints  here 
given  suflBce  to  show  that  the  forms  of  knowledge  are 
adapted  to  children  of  three  and  four  years  of  age,  and 
that  they  incite  plays  which  are  both  spontaneous  and 
nourishing  to  heart  and  intellect.  Yet  more  than  has 
been  here  presented  is  represented  by  the  tablet  itself, 
and  yet  more  is  rendered  prominent  by  the  description  of 
the  play.  Yet  these  few  indications  for  the  use  of  the 
forms  of  knowledge  as  play  must  here  suffice;  for  they 
already  show  with  quite  sufficient  clearness  how  their 
contemplation  and  comprehension  are  perfectly  suited  to 
the  life,  mind,  and  spirit  of  children  three  and  four  years 
of  age,  and  so  wholly  adapted  to  actual  free  play  which 
forms  both  spirit  and  heart.  The  comprehension  and 
treatment  of  the  gift  by  the  motherly  spirit,  and  the 
representations  and  perceptions  to  which  such  treatment 
gives  rise,  will  impart  to  the  play  a  life  it  is  impossible  to 
indicate  by  the  lifeless  word.  When,  however,  the  word 
and  play  are  used  to  throw  light  upon  each  other,  the 
exercise  is  refreshing,  elevating,  and  life-giving.  Such 
exercises,  moreover,  give  the  child  a  presentiment  of  the 


186         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 


^ 


inner  harmony  of  Nature  and  life.  To  lead  to  compre- 
hension of  this  harmony  is,  in  a  certain  sense,  the  true 
aim  of  education. 

We  now  turn  to  the  consideration  of  forms  of  leauty^ 
or  picture  forms,  or,  as  they  might  be  called  in  a  figura- 
tive sense,  harmonious  forms;  and  perhaps  this  name 
might  also  have  its  good  and  its  developing  effect,  since  it 
is  certainly  acknowledged  that  the  true  comprehension  of 
a  thing  proceeds  especially  from  its  connection  with  its 
opposite ;  thus,  in  this  case,  from  the  connection  of  the 
visible  and  the  audible,  of  quiescence  and  movement. 

The  transition  to  the  forms  of  beauty  (picture  forms, 
or,  as  we  have  just  called  them,  harmonious  forms)  is 
most  suitably  effected  through  the  forms  of  knowledge. 
I  consider  it  very  important  to  retain  this  transition  in 
general,  and  more  especially  in  the  life  and  play  with  the 
still  quite  small  children. 

If,  for  example,  the  four  fourths  in  Fig.  1  or  5,  Plate 
VIII,  are  separated  from  one  another,  as  in  Fig.  4,  they 
appear,  in  a  certain  point  of  view,  already  as  a  form  of 
beauty,  since,  as  the  parts  appear  more  manifestly  as  mem- 
bers  of  a  whole,  so  also  the  middle  and  the  unity  to  which 
they  refer  in  common  become  more  prominent.  Now,  if 
each  of  these  four  members  is  turned  into  the,  opposite 
position,  so  that  the  corner  of  each  square  or  member 
comes  to  lie  where  its  side  lay  before,  and  thus  appears 
as  an  opposite  square,  and  the  corners  touch  at  the  same 
time,  the  whole  becomes  still  more  definitely  a  form  of 
beauty. 

If,  now,  each  of  these  four  members  is  further  sepa- 
rated into  two,  and  thus  the  whole  four  members  into 
eight,  and  they  enter  in  this  way  into  symmetrical  refer- 
ence to  the  invisible  but  nevertheless  determining  middle, 


THE  FOURTH   PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  187 

the  unity  and  (by  the  connecting  greater  manifoldness) 
the  inner  beauty  of  the  whole  are  rendered  yet  more 
prominent.  (Compare  Plate  IX,  Figs.  1,  2,  3.)  But  this, 
again,  conditions  a  double  variety  :  either  the  broad  sides 
are  turned  toward  the  middle  (Figs,  la,  2a,  and  3a),  or 
the  end  surfaces  (Figs,  lb,  2b,  and  3b).  In  the  latter  case 
the  form  appears  radiate;  in  the  former  case,  circular  or 
inclosing.     These  forms  are  counterparts. 

The  appearance  of  forms  which  are  at  once  antithetic 
and  related  calls  for  mediation  or  transition  from  one  to 
the  other.  Hence  the  radiate  form  must  be  connected 
by  intermediate  forms  with  the  circular  (see  Plate  IX, 
Figs.  4a,  4b,  4c).  Such  connecting  forms  are  of  two 
kinds :  in  one  kind  the  radiate  form  is  within  the  circular ; 
in  the  other  it  is  outside  the  circular  (Plate  IX,  Figs.  4a 
and  4b).  These  transitional  forms  demand  a  fresh  media- 
tion ;  hence  the  figure  (Plate  IX,  Fig.  4c)  where  the  radi- 
ate form  both  contains  and  is  contained  by  the  circular. 
(Compare  with  4a  and  4b.) 

But  now  what  takes  place  with  the  building  blocks, 
when  they  rest  on  their  hroad  faces  as  in  the  cases  indi- 
cated (Figs.  4a,  4b,  and  4c),  takes  place  also  when  they  are 
placed  on  their  lorig^  narrow  faces  (see  Figs.  2a  and  2b), 
and  appears  again  when  they  stand  upright  on  their  ends 
(see  Figs.  3a  and  3c,  where  the  forms  on  this  as  on  the 
preceding  plate  are  represented  in  a  ground  plan ;  thus 
as  only  perceived  and  comprehended  from  above).  Each 
change  of  position  gives  rise  to  five  new  forms,  and  thus 
fifteen  forms  are  produced  by  placing  the  blocks  first  on 
their  broadest  faces,  next  on  their  long,  narrow  faces,  and 
finally  on  end.  If  these  three  different  kinds  of  position 
are  connected  among  themselves,  over  a  hundred  new  and 
constantly  differing  forms  may  be  by  degrees  produced 
15  \ 


A 


188         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

in  the  course  of  fostering  the  child's  impulse  to  develop- 
ment, and  can  be  represented  by  him,  for  child-life  gives 
time  and  opportunity  enough  for  this.  So  originates  a 
blissful  filling  up  of  many  hours  which  were  before  un- 
employed by  the  children ;  or,  at  least  employed  in  un- 
meaning and  worthless  activity,  since  in  each  individual 
form,  and  yet  more  in  each  particular  series  of  forms,  lis 
laws  of  life,  of  Nature,  and  in  general  of  formation,  which 
in  that  course  of  the  development  of  the  human  being  en- 
ter into  his  consciousness  in  the  comparison  with  Nature 
and  life. 

We  must  now  glance  at  another  consideration,  differing 
from  the  preceding,  but  not  less  fruitful  for  child  and 
play  as  well  as  for  the  adult  playmate. 

If  we  survey  the  forms  of  beauty  produced  with  the 
fourth  gift  in  their  totality  and  in  connection  with  the 
unity  from  which  they  are  developed — if,  in  order  to  at- 
tain yet  greater  unity,  we  compare  them  with  the  forms 
of  beauty  produced  with  the  third  gift — it  strikes  the  eye 
very  significantly  that  all  these  forms  and  structures  rest 
inclosed,  wrapped  up,  as  it  were,  in  the  form  of  beauty  of 
the  third  gift  as  in  a  bud.  We  have  taken,  as  a  proof  of 
this,  the  form  on  our  Plate  IX,  Fig.  A.  The  first  com- 
paring glance  at  this,  and  also  at  the  remaining  forms  of 
the  plate,  shows  how  all  forms  (and  chiefly  Figs,  la  and 
lb.  Figs.  2a  and  2b,  and  Figs.  3a  and  3b)  are  conditioned 
— one  might  say  contained — in  Fig.  A  as  in  a  germ  or 
bud.  But  also  Figs.  4a,  4b,  and  4c,  and  those  correspond- 
ing to  them  which  proceed  from  the  fundamental  form 
Figs.  2a  and  2b  and  Figs.  3a  and  3b,  as  well  as  the  yet 
remaining  for;ns  which  it  is  possible  to  develop  by  the  con- 
nection of  these  two  fundamental  forms,  all  rest,  as  it  were, 
veiled  in  the  form  of  union  and  unity,  Plate  IX,  Fig.  A. 


THE   FOURTH   PLAY   OF  THE   CHILD.  189 

In  and  through  what  characteristic  of  the  fourth  gift 
is  grounded  the  vast  number  of  different  forms  which 
proceed  from  the  single  germinal  form  A  ?  Is  it  not  be- 
cause the  three  principal  dimensions  of  space,  which  in 
the  cube  only  make  themselves  known  as  differences  of 
position  in  the  fourth  gift,  become  more  prominent,  and 
manifest  themselves  as  differences  of  size  f  These  three 
relations  of  size  are  in  the  fourth  gift  as  abiding  and 
changeless  as  the  position  of  the  three  principal  direc- 
tions was  before  and  still  is. 

If  we  now  admit  that  every  one  of  the  forms  of  beauty 
produced  with  the  fourth  gift  may  be  regarded  and  used 
as  a  fundamental  form  just  as  well  as  Fig.  A,  we  can  per- 
ceive what  a  number  of  forms  of  beauty  (scarcely  calcu- 
lable, and  yet  more  difficult  to  survey  at  a  glance)  may  be 
produced  with  this  gift,  and  how,  nevertheless,  the  con- 
ditions for  the  representation  of  each  longer  or  shorter 
series  may  always  be  given  in  the  most  exact  and  definite 
manner.  To  illustrate  :  We  may  require  the  child  to  pro- 
duce either  forms  whose  sides  are  all  equal,  or  again  forms 
whose  sides  are  unequal.  Confining  our  attention  to  the 
former  class,  we  observe  that  these  may  be  either  encir- 
cling, radiate,  or  made  up  of  the  two.  Restricting  our- 
selves again  to  this  third  variety  of  figures,  we  may  still 
further  narrow  our  activity  by  requiring  that  the  com- 
ponent blocks  be  placed  either  on  their  largest,  smallest, 
or  intermediate  faces.  Placing  them  upon  their  largest 
faces,  we  produce  the  figures  shown  in  Figs.  4a,  4b,  4c, 
Plate  IX.  Finally,  each  of  these  forms  is  susceptible  of 
manifold  alteration.  Hence  the  fourth  gift  combines 
universality,  boundlessness,  and  freedom,  with  restriction 
and  limitation.  In  this  play,  indeed,  law  and  coherence 
emerge  even  from  the  apparently  capricious  and  acci- 

\ 


190         PEDAGOGICS  OP  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

dental,  for,  by  following  the  path  of  development  indi- 
cated, each  particular  form  appears  as  a  member  of  a 
relatively  higher  and  more  inclusive  unity,  until  finally 
all  forms  are  related  to  the  germinal  form.  Fig.  A,  Plate 
IX.  In  the  visible  connection  of  the  pure  antitheses  lies 
the  formative  and  instructive  influence  of  this  gift  for  the 
child.  The  child  early  anticipates,  perceives,  and  recog- 
nizes how  intimately  the  finite  and  infinite,  necessity  and 
freedom,  law,  and  free  will  are  connected  with  one  an- 
other ;  how  inner  limitations  and  law  lie  at  the  founda- 
tion even  of  accident,  if  we  are  only  in  condition  to 
perceive  and  solve  all  the  limitations  and  connecting 
links  and  combinations  given  at  the  same  time  in  and 
with  it. 

The  illustration  of  this  universal  law  by  means  of  per- 
ceptible phenomena  is,  in  our  judgment,  as  important  for 
the  heart  and  soul  culture  of  the  child  as  the  absorption 
of  light  and  color  through  the  day,  and  the  inhalation  of 
air  from  the  atmosphere. 

How  shall  these  representations  of  forms  of  beauty  be 
carried  on  with  the  children  ?  Precisely  as  has  been  al- 
ready explained  in  the  original  delineation  of  these  plays : 
in  the  same  way  as  mothers  play  with  their  children,  of 
their  own  accord,  and  guided  by  motherly  love  and 
motherly  feeling.  Mothers  observe  some  kind  of  a  thing 
which  they  believe  will  captivate  the  child's  mind,  be  it 
only  for  an  instant,  and  they  try  forthwith  to  retain  it  for 
the  child's  observation.  Some  particular  object  which  has 
a  symmetric  form  has  been  represented  by  the  mother  or 
the  child,  or  by  both  together.  Through  its  symmetry  it 
captivates  for  an  instant  the  child's  attention.  Let  us 
assume  it  to  be  any  one  of  the  forms,  Figs,  la,  2a,  or  3a, 
Plate  IX.     The  watchful  mother  perceives  the  fascination, 


THE  FOURTH  PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  191 

and  seeks  to  heighten  and  retain  it  through  words  spoken 
or  sung — e.  g. : 

This  is  a  very  pretty  play, 

All  our  blocks  in  a  wreath  to  lay. 

If,  on  another  occasion,  the  accidentally  originated 
form  should  be  one  of  those  represented  in  Figs,  lb,  2b, 
or  3b,  the  mother  might  throw  it  into  clearer  relief  by 
singing  or  saying : 

Now  all  our  blocks  toward  the  middle  go, 
And  clearly  a  beautiful  star  they  show. 

Again,  if  forms  arise  like  those  represented  in  Figs. 
4a,  4b,  4c,  the  child's  attention  might  be  called  to  them 
by  the  words : 

When  the  stars  and  circles  meet, 
Then  we  look  like  flowers  sweet. 

Occasionally  forms  are  produced  which,  though  sym- 
metrical, are  not  alike  on  all  their  sides.  Thus  the  reader 
will  remember  that  with  the  third  gift  were  produced 
forms  whose  opposite  sides  were  equal  but  whose  adjacent 
sides  were  unequal.  Such  figures  as  these  may  be  inter- 
preted by  words  calling  attention  to  the  positions  of  the 
sides  and  the  number  of  blocks : 

Place  three  blocks  on  the  left, 
Place  three  blocks  on  the  rights 
With  one  above  and  one  below,  the  left  and  right  unite. 

Any  mother  or  kindergartner  who  sympathizes  with 
the  child's  habits  of  thought  may  with  a  little  experience 
learn  to  rhyme  all  his  activities  and  their  results.  Through 
her  jingles  she  will  make  clear  to  the  little  one  what  he 
has  done,  and  thus  his  accidental  productions  will  become 
a  point  of  departure  for  his  self -development.     Word  and 

\ 


192         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

form  are  opposite,  and  yet  related.  Hence  the  word 
should  always  accompany  the  form  as  its  shadow.  In  a 
certain  sense,  giving  a  form  a  name  really  creates  the 
form  itself.  Through  the  name,  moreover,  the  form  is 
retained  in  memory  and  defined  to  thought. 

In  addition  to  wreath,  star,  and  flow-er  forms,  the  blocks 
of  the  fourth  gift  may  be  used  to  produce  wheel  forms. 
These  wheel  forms  are  transitional,  and  mediate  the  forms 
of  beauty  and  the  forms  of  life.  This  transitional  or 
mediatorial  character  should  be  indicated  to  the  child, 
and  through  this  and  similar  experiences  he  should  be 
given  a  presentiment  of  the  truth  that  in  all  the  phenom- 
ena of  life  there  is  a  connection  of  antitheses  or  media- 
tion of  opposites.  An  early  foreboding  of  this  truth  is, 
in  our  judgment,  of  the  highest  importance  to  the  true 
development  of  each  human  being,  for  thereby  all  the 
phenomena  of  life  are  connected  into  a  living  and  life- 
giving  whole,  and  nothing  remains  isolated  and  insig- 
nificant. 

The  fourth  gift  has  now  been  considered  in  sufficient 
detail,  and  its  practical  use  indicated  in  the  three  essential 
directions  [forms  of  life,  knowledge,  beauty].  Two  points, 
however,  need  further  consideration  :  First,  the  play  itself 
and  the  adult  playmate ;  second,  the  relationship  and  con- 
nection of  the  different  gifts. 

The  Play  and  the  Adult  Playmate. 

How  rich  is  the  material  afforded  by  this  fourth  gift 
for  spiritual  and  intellectual  activity,  for  correct  appre- 
hension of  the  life  of  childhood,  and  for  the  develop- 
ment of  that  life,  has  been  so  clearly  indicated  in  the 
preceding  pages  that  it  need  not  further  be  dwelt  upon. 
Nothing  of  abiding  importance  for  the  human  being  is 


THE  FOURTH   PLAY  OF  THE  CHILD.  193 

untouched  by  it.  It  throws  light  upon  life  and  Nature, 
touches  the  springs  of  feeling  and  thought,  incites  action 
and  achievement.  It  illustrates  the  laws  and  conditions  of 
human  development,  reveals  its  inner  spirit,  illuminates  its 
outer  manifestations,  and  throws  into  relief  its  successive 
stages. 

Thus  it  leads  to  the  attainment  of  the  peace  of  life 
and  of  the  joy  of  life.  It  elevates  the  family  into  the 
guardianship  of  peace  and  the  promotion  of  happiness,  for 
through  it  means  are  given  by  which  all  that  has  living 
worth  may  be  drawn  within  the  circle  of  family  activi- 
ties. Hence  to  the  thoughtful  adult  this  little  play  may 
become  a  mirror  which  reflects  the  essential  law  of  life ; 
a  point  of  departure  and  comparison,  through  which  the 
phenomena  of  life  may  be  interpreted ;  a  bridge,  which 
shall  connect  the  inner  being  of  the  child  with  external 
phenomena,  and  conversely  shall  interpret  external  phe- 
nomena to  the  heart  and  imagination  of  the  child.  Thus 
our  fourth  gift  becomes  in  the  hands  of  a  reflective  per- 
son a  wonderful  means  of  education;  for  through  sen- 
sible facts  and  experiences  runs  the  path  to  heart  and 
mind,  to  will  and  deed. 

The  Relation  and  Connection  of  the  Different 

Gifts. 
It  was  pointed  out,  in  the  commentary  on  the  second 
gift,  that  the  introduction  of  this  gift  to  the  child  should 
not  supersede  the  use  of  its  predecessor,  but  that,  on  the 
contrary,  the  two  gifts  should  be  played  with  alternately, 
the  one  thus  assisting  to  produce  a  clearer  apprehension 
and  more  varied  use  of  the  other.  The  same  statement 
was  made  in  the  commentary  on  the  third  gift,  and  its 
relationship  to  the  second  gift  in  particular  was  clearly 


194         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

shown.  It  must,  however,  be  repeated  again,  for  the 
third  and  fourth  gifts  complement  each  other  in  a  strik- 
ing manner,  and  their  alternate  use  gives  new  life  and 
freshness  to  each,  and  is  most  strengthening  and  develop- 
ing to  the  spirit  of  the  child.  Hence,  if  several  children  of 
about  the  same  age  (from  two  to  four  years  old)  are  play- 
ing, some  with  the  third  and  some  with  the  fourth  gift, 
they  may  occasionally  exchange  boxes  with  each  other. 
Each  child  should  pass  his  box  in  good  condition  to  his 
neighbor.  No  one  should  be  allowed  to  push  the  contents 
of  his  box  in  a  disorderly  confusion  to  the  child  with  whom 
he  exchanges  gifts.  This  requirement  is  essential  both 
to  the  retention  of  the  child's  respect  for  the  plaything 
and  to  the  awakening  and  nourishing  of  his  own  sense 
of  order.  A  similar  requirement  must  be  insisted  upon 
when  the  child,  playing  alone,  wishes  to  change  from  one 
gift  to  the  other.  He  must  combine  his  component  cubes 
into  a  large  cube,  place  the  box  over  this,  then  close  and 
put  away  the  box,  before  he  is  allowed  to  receive  the  new 
gift.  Such  treatment  of  each  gift  as  a  separate  and  dis- 
tinct whole  is  especially  important,  because  thereby  the 
common  and  unifying  elements  of  the  different  gifts  are 
accentuated.  In  like  manner,  when  several  children  are 
playing  at  the  same  time,  with  the  same  gift  of  the  series, 
it  is  important  that  each  eight  blocks  or  bricks  should 
have  their  own  box.  They  should  be  taken  out  of  this 
box  at  the  beginning  of  the  play  and  put  back  into  it  at 
the  conclusion.  They  should  never  be  kept  in  or  taken 
from  a  common  box  or  receptacle.  Unimportant  as  these 
little  rules  may  appear,  they  are  essential  to  the  clear  and 
definite  development  of  the  child,  to  his  orderly  appre- 
hension of  external  objects,  and  to  the  logical  unfolding 
of  his  own  concepts  and  judgments. 


THE  FOURTH   PLAY   OF  THE  CHILD.  195 

In  a  word,  the  play  box  should  always  be  treated  as  a 
loved,  esteemed,  and  worthy  companion.  These  three  re- 
quirements hang  together. 

In  a  word,  the  box  of  building  blocks  should  be  re- 
garded by  the  child  as  a  worthy,  an  appreciated,  and  a 
loved  comrade.  The  three  feelings  are  intimately  con- 
nected. 

When  the  child  has  learned  to  use  each  of  the  gifts 
separately,  and  has  seized  their  essential  and  distinctive 
characteristics,  he  may  be  allowed  to  use  them  together. 
This  joint  use  of  his  playthings  is  particularly  important 
in  the  case  of  the  third  and  fourth  gifts. 

Since,  however,  the  combination  of  the  third  and 
fourth  gifts  creates  an  expansion  of  the  child's  play,  and 
requires  from  him  increased  power  of  perception  and 
increased  creative  ability,  the  two  boxes  should  not  be 
used  together  until  their  separate  possibilities  have  been 
thoroughly  mastered. 


XII. 

SECOND   REVIEW   OF   PLAYS. — A   FRAGMENT. 

Petitions  for  a  more  thorough  elaboration  of  my  play 
and  occupation  material  have  reached  me  from  many 
quarters.  I  am  also  requested  to  state  in  summary  their 
inner  and  outer  connection.  As  one  essential  class  of 
these  gifts  has  now  been  developed  in  several  series,  which 
have  been  in  use  among  children  long  enough  for  me  to 
observe  their  fruits,  I  gladly  comply  with  the  wishes  of 
those  who  have  shown  sympathy  with  my  efforts.  I  shall 
endeavor  to  connect  what  I  have  to  say  with  the  summary 
previously  presented.  Since,  however,  the  careful  reader 
is  by  this  time  in  possession  of  many  additional  experi- 
ences and  insights,  I  shall  enter  more  deeply  into  my 
subject,  and  try  to  present  it  from  more  varied  points  of 
view. 

Let  us  take  nature  as  our  guide-post  and  example. 
Let  us  endeavor  to  find  the  essential  nature  of  material 
objects  and  the  conditions  under  which  this  nature  un- 
folds. In  a  word,  let  us  study  the  process  of  natural  de- 
velopment ;  for  the  process  of  development  exhibits  the 
essence  of  the  developing  object,  precisely  as  the  actions 
of  a  man  exhibit  the  inner  disposition  which  is  their 
moving  spring. 

In  nature  each  object  develops  after  its  own  kind. 


SECOND  REVIEW  OP  PLAYS.— A  FRAGMENT.    197 

Seeking  for  the  ground  of  this  phenomenon,  we  come  to 
the  following  threefold  result : 

1.  Each  object  develops  in  accordance  with  the  high- 
est and  simplest  laws  of  life ;  hence,  in  unity  and  har- 
mony with  these  laws  and  their  aboriginal  cause.  Each 
living  object,  therefore,  reveals  these  laws  in  their  partic- 
ular manifestation  and  in  their  totality. 

2.  Each  particular  object  develops  in  accord  with  its 
own  individual  nature,  and  in  conformity  with  the  specific 
laws  of  that  nature. 

3.  Each  particular  object  in  nature  develops  under 
the  collective  influence  of  all  other  objects.  If  any  ob- 
ject appears  to  be  withdrawn  from  this  collective  influ- 
ence, such  withdrawal  is  mediate,  not  immediate — as,  e.  g., 
when  the  object  is  shielded  by  a  roof  from  the  hot  sun. 
This  withdrawal  itself,  moreover,  is  grounded  in  the 
nature  of  the  influence  from  v/hich  the  given  object  is 
protected — hence  may  be  said  to  be  a  phase  of  this  influ- 
ence itself. 

If,  now,  we  strive  to  grasp  in  a  common  unity  this 
threefold  process  of  development,  we  find  an  element 
which,  corresponding  to  ascending  stages  of  development 
is  called  force,  tendency,  life,  impulse,  energy,  and  which 
in  each  particular  object  manifests  itself  in  the  following 
forms  : 

1.  As  a  germinating  and  developing  power  (working 
from  within  outward). 

2.  As  a  receptive  power  [from  without  inward]. 

3.  As  an  assimilative  and  formative  energy  [synthesis 
of  the  preceding  powers]. 

Thus  the  pivot  upon  which  all  turns  is  recognition  of 
life  or  activity,  which  is  in  union  with  the  source  of  all 
life — i.  e.,  God.      The  condition  of  all  manifestation  of 


198         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 


1 


completeness  in  nature  is  the  retention  of  this  life-unity 
{Lebens-einheit).  We  must  see  clearly  the  conditions  of 
complete  development  in  nature,  and  then  employ  them 
in  human  life.  Thus  only  can  we  help  men  to  attain, 
upon  the  plane  of  human  development — which  means 
spiritual  development — a  degree  of  perfection  correspond- 
ing to  that  which  the  forms  and  types  of  nature  show 
upon  the  plane  of  physical  development.  This  dwelling 
in  life-unity  is  necessary  even  for  the  wisest  of  the  wise. 

Man,  however  —  the  all-surveying  man  —  must  rise 
through  ascending  degrees  of  consciousness  to  perfect  in- 
sight into  the  ground,  conditions,  and  goal  of  his  life. 

We  observe  in  nature  that  each  successive  stage  of 
development  does  not  exclude  its  predecessor,  but  en- 
nobles, transforms,  and  develops  it.  Man,  likewise,  must 
unfold  and  develop  in  unity  with  nature,  and  thus  in  un- 
disturbed harmony  with  the  life  of  the  whole,  with  the 
unity  of  this  total  life,  and  with  its  source.  He  must  also 
attend  carefully  to  the  manifestations  of  his  own  inner 
life,  and  must  nurture  this  inner  life.  He  must  recognize 
that  the  universal  and  divine  laws  of  life  and  existence 
work  also  in  him  and  manifest  themselves  through  him. 
Finally,  through  free  choice  and  free  self -activity  he  must 
reproduce — first  in  feeling  and  later  with  clear  conscious- 
ness— the  divine  and  unifying  life. 

Therefore  we  must  endeavor  to  make  our  children  per- 
\  ceive  in  nature  the  divine  unity  of  life.  We  must  also 
aid  them  to  represent  this  unity  in  their  own  lives.  Thus 
shall  nature  and  life  interpret  each  other. 

Force  and  life  manifest  themselves  as  formative  and 
constructive  energies.  We  know  this  to  be  true  of  light, 
heat,  and  other  forces.  Even  more  emphatically  true  is 
it  that  life  manifests  itself  and  its  accord  with  law  in  its 


SECOND  REVIEW  OF  PLAYS.— A   FRAGMENT.    199 

forms.  Specific  life  shows  itself  in  specific  structures, 
conditioned  by  form  and  size.  Form,  again,  manifests  its 
nature  in  the  systematic  arrangement  or  articulation  of 
its  component  parts ;  size  shows  itself  in  its  divisions. 
Both  size  and  form  have  multiplicity  and  divisibility; 
hence  both  imply  and  depend  upon  number.  • 

In  order,  therefore,  to  aid  the  child  from  the  very  dawn 
of  consciousness,  and  through  the  first  exertions  of  activ- 
ity, to  rightly  apprehend  his  environment,  we  offered  him 
as  his  first  plaything  the  ball ;  for  the  ball  meets  all  the 
conditions  above  enumerated,  and  hence  may  be  consid- 
ered as  a  representative  or  type  of  all  things  severally  and 
collectively.  It  is  in  a  certain  sense,  therefore,  a  symbol 
of  the  universal  life. 

In  the  plays  with  the  ball  the  universal  qualities  of 
material  objects  are  thrown  into  relief.  Hence  through 
these  plays  the  child  learns  to  recognize  the  qualities  com- 
mon to  all  things  in  his  environment — i.  e.,  material, 
weight,  force,  cohesion,  elasticity,  etc.  In  the  structure 
of  the  ball  he  recognizes  form,  size,  and  number  in  undi- 
vided unity — a  three  in  one.  Thus  the  ball  becomes  a 
key  to  the  child's  environment,  and  a  guide  to  and  inter- 
preter of  nature  both  as  regards  her  outer  manifestations 
and  her  inner  life.  The  illustrations  given  in  this  book 
show  how  both  these  results  may  be  attained.  In  the 
hands  of  thoughtful  mothers  and  kindergartners  the  ball 
becomes  a  help  to  the  child  in  grasping  the  objects  which 
he  sees  around  him,  in  their  unity  and  indivisibility,  and 
it  also  helps  him  to  make  a  right  use  of  them.  The  means 
to  this  twofold  end  are  the  differing  and  contrasting 
qualities  which  the  ball  illustrates.  The  nature  and  rela- 
tionship of  these  contrasts  are  accentuated  through  the 
development  of  the  sphere  and  cube  from  the  ball. 


200         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

From  this  point  we  connect  our  second  review  of  the 
gifts  with  the  review  already  given. 

In  order  that  the  child  may  get  clear  conceptions  of 
the  sphere  and  cube  they  should  be  given  him  sometimes 
separately  and  sometimes  together.  To  give  them  to- 
gether is  especially  important,  because,  as  has  been  so 
often  stated,  they  help  the  child  to  seize  the  contrasts  in 
the  objects  of  his  environment  and  to  find  their  recon- 
ciliation ;  for  the  sphere  is  predominantly  the  image  and 
type  of  outwardly  manifested  and  yet  really  veiled  inter- 
nality ;  the  cube,  on  the  contrary,  is  predominantly  the 
image  and  type  of  an  internality  which,  though  only  'par- 
tially manifest,  is  actual  and  unveiled  in  this  partiality. 
Thus  the  two  forms  are  complementary.  The  plays  with 
the  ball  lead  the  child  through  the  universal  qualities 
which  the  ball  illustrates  to  a  general  (though  vague?) 
knowledge  of  particular  bodies  of  nature  and  of  life. 
The  plays  with  the  sphere  and  cube,  and  particularly 
those  plays  which  incite  to  comparison  of  these  contrast- 
ing forms,  lead  to  more  specific  knowledge  of  these  several 
subjects. 


XIIL 

THE  FIFTH  GIFT.  THE  CUBE  DIVIDED  EQUALLY  TWICE 
Ilif  EACH  DIMENSION  AND  WITH  OBLIQUELY  DIVIDED 
COMPONENT  CUBES.  EVOLUTION  OF  THIS  GIFT  FROM 
THE  PRECEDING  GIFTS,  AND  FROM  THE  NATURE  OF 
THE   CHILD   AND    HIS   ENVIRONMENT. 

(See  Plates  X-XIII.) 

In  accordance  with  a  simple,  necessary,  and  self-con- 
ditioned law  of  life,  the  development  of  the  child  proceeds 
from  a  definite,  invisible,  unchangeable,  implicit  unity, 
which  is  in  harmony  with  a  corresponding  unity  in  the 
cosmos,  toward  a  goal  or  consummation  characterized  by 
the  conscious  realization  of  unity  in  particularity  and  in 
manifoldness. 

The  means  of  adumbrating  to  the  child  his  own  nature 
and  life,  and  the  nature  and  life  of  the  cosmos,  are  his 
plays  and  playthings. 

Proceeding  in  this  manner  and  with  allegiance  to  the 
demands  of  his  nature,  we  have  directed  the  activity  of 
the  child  by  presenting  him  with  gifts  moving  from  a 
necessary  unit  and  developing  according  to  inner  and  im- 
mutable laws.  These  gifts  have  moved  from  the  simple, 
uniform,  soft,  elastic  ball  to  the  sphere,  which,  though 
equally  simple,  and  conditioned  by  an  apprehensible 
though  invisible  center,  is  relatively  to  the  ball  fixed  and 
inflexible,  yet  even  more  easily  movable.     From  the  soft, 


202         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

elastic,  quiescent  ball,  and  the  hard,  inelastic^ easily  mov- 
able sphere,  we  advanced  to  the  undivided  cube,  an  object 
which  to  the  uniformity  of  the  sphere  opposes  the  mani- 
f oldness  of  its  faces,  corners,  and  edges,  and  in  contrast  to 
the  movableness  of  the  former  embodies  the  tendency  to 
repose.  From  the  undivided  cube,  whose  form  was  con- 
ditioned by  contrast  to  the  sphere,  we  proceeded  to  the 
cube  divided  once  in  each  dimension,  and  hence  consist- 
ing of  eight  component  cubes  ;  and  from  this,  in  accord- 
ance with  requirements  already  fully  explained,  to  the 
fourth  gift,  a  cube  divided  by  one  vertical  and  two  hori- 
zontal cuts  into  eight  bricks  [rectangular  parallelopipeds]. 

Casting  a  scrutinizing  glance  upon  this  series  of  toys 
we  discover  the  following  law  of  progress : 

The  Ball — A  whole  complete  in  itself ;  a  body  round 
yet  easily  alterable.  [Froebel  means  that  the  soft  ball  is 
easily  changed  in  shape  by  pressure.] 

The  Sphere. — A  fixed,  inflexible,  unmodifiable  round 
body,  in  which  straight  lines  [axes]  having  different  direc- 
tions may  be  conceived  although  they  are  not  visible  and 
are  interchangeable. 

The  Cube. — The  invisible  and  interchangeable  straight 
lines  conceived  as  the  axes  of  the  sphere  have  in  the  cube 
become  outwardly  visible  and  fixed.  They  retain,  however, 
equality  of  length. 

The  Cube  divided  once  in  every  dimension  (third  gift). 
— In  this  gift  the  straight  lines  and  surfaces,  which  are 
manifest  in  the  undivided  cube  as  faces  and  edges,  are 
revealed  in  their  inward  nature.  Moreover,  what  the  un- 
divided cube  showed  once,  is  here  repeated  in  each  com- 
ponent cube.  Finally,  in  building  with  this  gift  the  child 
has  now  and  then  experiences  of  straight  lines  of  different 
lengths. 


THE   FIFTH  GIFT.  203 

Buildhig  Bricks  (fourth  gift). — In  this  gift  the  right 
Hnes  of  unequal  length,  now  and  then  manifest  in  the 
combinations  of  the  third  gift,  become  a  fixture. 

This  review  shows  clearly  that  each  successive  gift  in 
the  series  is  not  only  implicit  in  but  also  demanded  by 
its  predecessor.  Hence  the  fifth  gift,  to  which  we  now 
advance,  must  be  indicated  in  and  demanded  by  the  gifts 
already  considered.  We  need,  therefore,  only  to  consider 
their  process  of  development  in  order  to  discover  what 
must  be  the  character  of  their  next  successor. 

The  original  gift  in  our  cubical  series  was  a  cube 
divided  once  in  each  dimension.  The  natural  progress  is 
from  one  to  two,  hence  our  new  gift  must  be  divided 
twice  in  each  dimension.  Each  one  of  its  faces  will 
therefore  show  a  division  into  three  equal  parts,  and  the 
whole  cube  will  be  divided  into  twenty-seven  component 
cubes.  This  division  by  threes  yields  an  increase  in  the 
number  of  parts,  but  not  a  developing  extension  in  the 
nature  of  the  gift  itself.  A  new  feature  must  therefore  be 
added  to  this  gift,  and  it  must  be  one  which  has  been  met 
with  occasionally  in  the  combinations  made  with  the  pre- 
ceding gifts.     This  new  feature  is  the  diagonal. 

The  diagonal  is  demanded.  Vertical  and  horizontal 
lines  are  both  straight  lines.  They  are  also  in  their  direc- 
tions contrasting  lines.  Contrasts  in  accordance  with  the 
universal  law  of  development  imply  mediation.  The  di- 
agonal mediates  the  contrasting  right  lines,  and  hence  is 
demanded  by  them. 

The  diagonal  is  also  suggested  in  the  preceding  gifts, 
germinates  therefore  in  them  and  sprouts  from  them. 
Whenever,  either  in  forms  of  life  or  forms  of  beauty,  sur- 
faces and  edges  meet,  the  oblique  is  transiently  shown. 

The  demand  of  the  new  gift,  therefore,  is  that  the 
16  ^ 


204         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 


1 

all    V^a.         1 


oblique  line  hitherto  only  transiently  indicated  shall  be 
come  an  abiding  feature  of  its  material.  The  oblique  line, 
moreover,  in  accordance  with  previous  indications,  must 
be  the  diagonal  of  a  square.  Now,  how  shall  this  de- 
manded diagonal  be  produced  ?  Simply  by  cutting  the 
cube  through  opposite  edges,  thus  dividing  it  into  two 
parts,  each  of  which  is  a  rectangular  column  whose  ends 
are  equal  triangles  [triangular  prisms]. 

This  division  of  the  cube  is  demanded  both  by  internal 
and  external  considerations.  The  question  next  arises. 
Shall  the  cube  be  divided  diagonally  once,  thus  yielding 
only  halves,  or  shall  it  be  twice  divided  and  yield  quarters? 
Manifestly  it  must  be  divided  in  both  ways.  Finally,  we 
ask  ourselves.  How  many  of  the  component  cubes  shall 
be  thus  divided  ?  As  the  fundamental  number  in  this 
gift  is  three,  it  would  seem  right  that  three  component 
cifbes  should  be  divided  into  halves  and  three  into  quar- 
ters. Through  this  division  in  one  third  of  the  cube, 
three  of  the  component  cubes  remain  whole  and  undi- 
vided, three  are  divided  into  halves,  and  three  into  quar- 
ters. Hence  the  fifth  gift  is  composed  of  twenty-one  un- 
divided component  cubes,  three  cubes  divided  diagonally 
into  halves,  and  three  divided  diagonally  into  quarters ; 
the  whole,  therefore,  is  made  up  of  three  times  three  times 
three,  or  twenty-seven  small  cubes. 

So  much  in  explanation  of  the  essential  nature  of  the 
fifth  gift,  its  outer  form,  its  composition,  and  the  law  of 
its  evolution.     Let  us  now  advance  to 

Its  Use. 

Before  beginning  his  play  with  this  gift  the  child  must 
apprehend  it  as  a  symmetrical  whole,  complete  in  itself. 
The  component  cubes  should  be  so  packed  in  their  box  as 


THE  FIFTH  GIFT.  205 

to  bring  the  divided  cubes  undermost;  it  is  also  essential 
that  cubes  similarly  divided  should  be  placed  in  a  row. 
In  conformity  with  this  demand  the  bottom  of  the  box 
must  be  occupied  by  one  row  of  undivided  cubes,  one  row 
of  halved  cubes,  and  one  row  of  quartered  cubes.  The 
eighteen  remaining  undivided  cubes  fill  the  rest  of  the 
box. 

If  the  cubes  be  thus  arranged  in  the  box  and  covered 
with  the  lid,  it  is  only  necessary  to  place  the  box  on  the 
table  with  the  cover  downward,  then  to  draw  out  the 
cover  and  raise  the  box  with  a  steady  hand.  When  the 
box  is  withdrawn  the  whole  cube,  with  its  parts  well  ar- 
ranged, stands  before  the  child. 

This  procedure  is  by  no  means  intended  merely  to 
make  the  withdrawal  of  the  box  easy  for  the  child,  but, 
on  the  contrary,  brings  to  him  much  inner  profit.  It  is 
well  for  him  to  receive  his  playthings  in  an  orderly  man- 
ner— not  to  have  them  tossed  to  him  as  fodder  is  tossed 
to  animals.  It  is  good  for  the  child  to  begin  his  play  with 
the  perception  of  a  whole,  a  simple  self-contained  unit, 
and  from  this  unity  to  develop  his  representations.  Fi- 
nally, it  is  essential  that  the  playing  child  should  receive 
his  material  so  arranged  that  its  various  elements  are  dis- 
cernible, and  that  by  seeing  them  his  mind  may  uncon- 
sciously form  plans  for  using  them.  Receiving  his  mate- 
rial thus  arranged,  the  child  will  use  it  with  ever-recurrent 
and  increasing  satisfaction,  and  his  play  will  produce  far 
more  abiding  results  than  the  play  of  one  whose  material 
lies  before  him  like  a  heap  of  cobble-stones. 

Since  the  right  use  of  all  objects,  whether  physical  or 
spiritual,  implies  primarily  division  and  recombination, 
or  analysis  and  synthesis,  according  to  definite  aims,  let 
the  first  use  of  the  fifth  gift  be 


206         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

The  Eepresentatioi^  of  Forms  of  Knowledge. 

The  simplest  of  these  forms  of  knowledge  are  obtained 
by  division.  The  simplest  form  of  division  is  that  which 
separates  the  whole  cube  into  equal  parts  of  the  least 
number,  and  having  the  greatest  similarity  in  form  to  the 
whole  cube.  Therefore  the  first  division  of  the  fifth  gift 
is  into  three  equal  square  prisms. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  third  gift  was  divided 
in  three  different  ways,  but  that  the  parts  thus  divided 
differed  only  in  position.  In  two  of  these  divisions  the 
plane  of  division  was  vertical ;  in  one  it  was  horizontal. 
The  two  vertical  planes  differed  by  extending  in  one  case 
from  right  to  left  and  in  the  other  from  front  to  back. 
In  the  fifth  gift  this  threefold  division  is  repeated,  and  is 
now  accompanied  by  variation  in  the  arrangement  of  the 
component  cubes.  In  other  words,  when  the  fifth  gift  is 
divided  horizontally  all  the  divided  component  cubes  will 
be  found  in  one  of  its  thirds.  When  it  is  divided  verti- 
cally from  right  to  left,  the  halved  cubes  will  be  found  in 
one  of  its  thirds  and  the  quartered  cubes  in  another. 
When  it  is  divided  from  front  to  back,  one  of  the  halved 
cubes  and  one  of  the  quartered  cubes  will  be  found  in  each 
third. 

Perceptions  and  recognitions  which  are  with  difficulty 
gained  from  loords  are  easily  gained  from  facts  and  deeds. 
Through  actual  experience  the  child  gains  in  a  trice  a 
total  concept,  whereas  the  same  concept  expressed  in 
words  would  be  only  grasped  in  a  partial  manner.  The 
rare  merit,  the  vivifying  influence  of  this  play  material  is 
that,  through  the  representations  it  makes  possible,  con- 
cepts are  recognized  at  once  in  their  wholeness  and  unity, 
whereas  such  an  idea  of  a  whole  can  only  very  gradually 


THE  FIFTH   GIFT.  207 

be  gained  from  its  verbal  expression.  It  must,  however, 
be  added  that  later,  through  words,  the  concept  can  be 
brought  into  higher  and  clearer  consciousness.  Rhythmic 
or  harmoniously  membered  speech  especially  tends  to  pro- 
duce this  result.  Hence  all  perceptions  should  be  con- 
nected with  words,  that  thereby  they  may  be  more  clearly 
defined  in  thought. 

Therefore  the  division  and  recombination  of  our  cubes 
may  be  accompanied  by  the  words — 

One  whole,  three  thirds ; 
Three  thirds,  one*  whole. 

If,  in  addition  to  connecting  the  act  with  its  interpret- 
ing word,  we  connect  with  the  words  the  rhythmic  form, 
then  to  sense-perception  and  intellectual  apprehension  we 
shall  give  the  apprehension  of  the  heart,  or,  in  other 
words,  we  shall  influence  the  whole  nature  of  the  child  as 
a  triune  being : 

15  5  3  11 

One  whole  now,  three  thirds  see ; 

1  5  5  3  11 

Three  thirds  now,  one  whole  see. 

This  very  simple  division-  of  the  cube  gives  occasion 
for  a  great  variety  of  representations ;  the  three  table- 
shaped  parts  produced  by  the  horizontal  division  can  be 
joined  so  as  to  form  a  rectangular  prism,  whose  greatest 
length  may  be  either  vertical  or  horizontal  (Plate  X,  Fig. 
1).  In  either  case  the  rectangular  prism  may  be  again 
divided  into  three  beam-shaped  parts  [square  prisms] — 
i.  e.,  in  beam-shaped  parts  having  a  horizontal  position 
(Plate  X,  Fig.  2),  and  into  beam-shaped  parts  having  a  ver- 
tical position.  To  the  child  these  differences  of  position 
make  the  beams  seem  as  different  as  an  oblong  whose 
greater  length  is  horizontal  seems  to  him  different  from 


20B         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

an  oblong  whose  greater  length  is  vertical.  Here,  again, 
division  and  recombination  are  accompanied  by  word, 
accent,  and  song  : 

One  table — three  beams ; 
Three  beams — one  table. 

Again,  we  may  consider  the  rectangular  prism  formed 
by  uniting  the  three  square  prisms  (Plate  X,  Fig.  1)  as 
one  long  tablfe,  and,  as  we  alternately  divide  and  recon- 
struct it,  say — 

Long  table  will  three  small  ones  make ; 
To  form  long  table  three  small  ones  take. 

Or,  more  briefly — 

Long  rectangle,  three  squares  see ; 

From  three  squares,  rectangle  make  for  me. 

In  •  this  case  direct  attention  to  upper  face  of  prisms. 
Or— 

One  oblong,  three  squares ; 

Three  squares,  one  oblong. 

In  this  case  the  oblongs  in  different  positions  are  recog- 
nized as  having  the  same  form. 

The  same  law  must  be  observed  here  as  in  all  other 
plays — the  law  which  permits  the  child  entire  freedom  in 
developing  from  a  given  point  of  departure.  Thus  pro- 
ceeding from  the  rectangular  prism  the  child  may,  ac- 
cording to  his  own  impulse,  develop  the  rhomboidal  prism 
(Plate  X,  Fig.  4)  to  the  trapezoidal  prism  (Plate  X,  Fig.  5). 
These  forms  lead  on  to  the  hexagonal  and  pentagonal 
prisms  (Plate  XI). 

[Froebel  omits  any  consideration  of  what  the  child 
might  do  if  his  impulse  did  not  move  him  to  make  these 
forms.] 

In  all  cases,  however,  it  is  an  incitement  to  thought 


THE   FIFTH   GIFT.  209 

and  feeling  if  simple  words  and  melodies  are  used  to  de- 
•fine  the  child's  doings.  Through  such  interpretation  the 
act  recoils  with  more  developing  power — e.  g. : 

My  cube  I  can  handle 
With  ease,  and  you'll  see 
Six  corners,  where  four 
Or  where  five  used  to  be. 
Or— 

How  easy  'tis  ray  cube  to  take 
And  from  one  form  another  make  I 

It  is  both  edifying  and  enjoyable  for  the  child  to  dis- 
cover and  repeatedly  represent  how  one  form  proceeds 
from  another  by  lawful  evolution,  as  has  just  been  illus- 
trated in  the  series  moving  from  the  rectangular  prism 
or  parallelepiped  to  the  hexagonal  prism.  It  is  also  im- 
portant for  the  child  to  define  each  form  in  words — e.  g. : 

A  rectangle  has  four  right  angles,  etc. ; 

A  rhomboid  has  two  sharp  and  two  blunt  angles. 

Definitions  of  this  kind  must  be  given  without  any 
proof,  and  simply  as  verbal  expressions  of  perceptible 
facts.  They  should  be  uttered  rhythmically,  and  should 
be  interpreted  by  pointing  with  the  fingers  to  the  angles 
indicated.  Thus  the  words,  "  Two  sharp  angles,  two  blunt 
angles,"  should  be  repeated  alternately,  and  the  angles 
touched  as  they  are  named. 

Even  these  definitions  may  be  made  rhythmic : 

Scan  well  these  forms,  always  four  angles  you  will  find, 
Yet  ever  different  are  their  sides  inclined. 

So  when  the  angles  are  similar  but  have  different  posi- 
tions, the  following  words  may  be  said : 

Though  these  angles  alike  appear, 
In  position  they  differ  here. 


210         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

[That  is,  the  two  equal  angles  either  on  different  sides 
(rhomboid)  or  on  the  same  side  (trapezoid).] 

In  further  explanation  may  be  added  the  following 

words : 

The  two  that  are  blunt  are  the  larger  angles ; 
The  two  that  are  sharp  are  the  smaller  angles. 

And  further  [in  case  of  such  trapezoids  as  are  illustrated 
in  Plate  X,  Fig.  5]  : 

Blunt  angles  on  the  shorter  sides  we  see  ; 
Sharp  angles  on  the  longer  sides  must  be. 

In  all  that  is  done,  however,  the  aim  must  be  to  follow 
simply,  quietly,  and  thoughtfully  the  requirements  of  the 
child's  inner  nature — an  aim  which  these  gifts  make  it 
easy  to  realize.  The  child's  representations  must  be  lifted 
into  the  clearness  and  precision  for  which  he  longs,  and 
finally  his  productions  must  be  clearly  defined  in  words. 

From  this  digression,  to  which  we  have  allowed  our- 
selves to  be  led  as  in  play  by  the  child,  we  return  to  the 
division  of  the  cubes. 

As  the  division  of  the  cube  into  thirds  was  made  in 
three  different  ways,  so  the  thirds  may  be  divided  in 
three  different  ways  into  ninths,  and  these  into  twenty- 
sevenths. 

Again,  the  component  cubes  may  be  united  so  as  to 
form  a  rhomboidal,  a  pentagonal,  or  a  hexagonal  prism,  and 
divided  in  several  different  ways  into  two,  three,  four,  six, 
and  more  equal  parts ;  the  shapes  of  these  parts  will  be 
four,  five,  six,  and  eight  sided  prisms.  They  are  always, 
however,  right  prisms — i.  e.,  prisms  whose  lateral  faces 
form  right  angles  with  bases.  The  use  of  the  cube  makes 
these  facts  so  apparent,  that  they  need  only  be  indicated 
for  each  person  to  discover  them  for  himself  and  to  lead 
children  to  discover  them. 


THE  FIFTH  GIFT.  211 

The  children  may  be  incited  to  effort  and  discovery 
by  rhymed  question  and  suggestion  : 

Who  can  now  the  large  cube  change, 
And  one  six-sided  form  arrange  ? 

Or— 

And  two  six-sided  forms  arrange. 

The  cube  can  change,  if  each  child  only  tries. 

To  four  straight  rows  alike  in  form  and  size. 

See !  now  I  can  divide  all  these 

Into  five-sided  forms  with  ease. 

Whoever  can  handle  the  cube  well  can  change 

These  forms,  and  four  six-sided  forms  can  arrange. 

The  four  six-sided  forms  you  now  may  take, 

And  of  them  two  eight-sided  figures  make. 

Look  at  me  now,  and  lastly  you  shall  learn 

How  two  eight-sided  forms  to  one  may  turn. 

Four  equal  slanting  lines  we  here  can  view ; 

The  other  sides  are  equal  two  and  two. 

This  cube  is  very  changeable ;  you  may  turn  it  with  much  ease 

To  forms  whose  bases  have  five  sides,  and  more  yet,  if  you  please. 

Or- 

The  cube  its  parts  unites  in  different  ways, 
And  with  each  change  a  different  form  displays. 

The  transformation  of  one  form  into  another  thrown 
into  relief  by  these  lines  is  highly  important  in  its  devel- 
oping influence.  The  forms  advance  from  the  simple  to 
the  complex  and  return  again  to  the  simple,  thus  com- 
pleting a  cycle  of  development. 

[Students  of  Froebel  will  recognize  that  he  is  trying 
to  illustrate  the  process  of  evolution,  whose  natural  sym- 
bol he  finds  in  the  life  of  the  tree.] 

In  every  case  separation  and  division  must  be  followed 
by  recombination.    In  this  w^  there  result  from  the  cube, 


212         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

by  varied  groupings  of  its  constituent  parts,  prisms,  whose 
bases  have  4,  6,  or  8  sides.  [Froebel  here  describes  these 
prisms  as  "  four- times-one-sided,  two-times-two-and-one- 
sided,  two-and- three- times-one-sided,  one-time-three-sided, 
once  two-sided,  and  once  one-sided,  four  times  two-sided."] 
(See  Plate  XI,  Figs.  1-8.)  These  bodies  after  being  built 
up  may  be  easily  resolved  into  their  different  constituent 
prisms.  The  manner  of  doing  this  will  be  perceived  at  a 
glance. 

A  very  delightful  exercise  is  to  discover  how  many 
square  prisms  may  be  made  of  the  twenty-seven  cubes. 
Such  square  prisms  may  be,  first,  all  of  equal  size ;  second, 
all  of  different  sizes ;  third,  part  of  equal  and  part  of  un- 
equal sizes.  Analogous  exercises  may  be  carried  out  with 
the  pentagonal  and  hexagonal  solids.  Here  as  everywhere 
the  point  of  prime  importance  for  its  formative  influence 
is  the  development  of  one  form  from  another. 

Let  us  illustrate  this  kind  of  exercise  by  the  example 
of  the  square  prism. 

First.     Equal  Square  Prisms. 
Of  these  there  are  three,  each  composed  of  nine  cubes. 
Second.     Unequal  Square  Prisms. 

TWO    SQUARE    PRISMS. 

1  of  25  and  1  of  2  cubes. 
1  of  18  and  1  of  9  cubes. 

THREE    SQUARE   PRISMS. 

1  of  16,  1  of  9,  1  of  2  cubes. 

FOUR   SQUARE    PRISMS. 

1  of  16,  1  of  8,  1  of  2,  1  of  1  cube. 

FIVE    SQUARE   PRISMS. 

1  of  16,  1  of  4i,  1  of  4,  1  of  2,  1  of  i  cube. 


THE  FIFTH  GIFT.  213 

Third.     Equal  and  Unequal  Square  Prisms. 

THREE   SQUARE    PRISMS. 

1  of  25  cubes,  2  of  1  cube  each. 

rOUR   SQUARE   PRISMS.    ' 

2  of  9  cubes  each,  2  of  4|  cubes  each. 
2  of  9,  1  of  8  cubes,  1  of  1  cube. 
1  of  16,  2  of  4J  cubes,  1  of  2  cubes. 

FIVE   SQUARE    PRISMS. 

1  of  16,  2  of  4^  cubes  each,  2  of  1  cube  each. 

1  of  16,  1  of  8,  1  of  2  cubes,  2  of  ^  cube  each. 

2  of  9,  1  of  4^,  1  of  4  cubes,  1  of  J  cube. 

SIX    SQUARE    PRISMS. 

2  of  9,  1  of  4^,  2  of  2  cubes  each,  1  of  ^  cube. 

SEVEN    SQUARE   PRISMS. 

1  of  9,  1  of  8,  1  of  4,  2  of  2  cubes  each,  2  of  1  cube  each. 

2  of  44,  4  of  4,  1  of  2  cubes. 

EIGHT   SQUARE    PRISMS. 

1  of  9,  1  of  8,  1  of  4,  1  of  2  cubes,  4  of  1  cube  each. 
1  of  4J,  5  of  4,  1  of  2  cubes,  1  of  |^  cube. 
6  of  4,  1  of  2  cubes,  1  of  1  cube. 

NINE    SQUARE    PRISMS. 

1  of  9, 1  of  8, 1  of  4, 1  of  2  cubes,  3  of  1  cube,  2  of  ^  cube. 

TEN   SQUARE    PRISMS. 

5  of  4,  3  of  2  cubes,  2  of  |^  cube. 

ELEVEN   SQUARE   PRISMS. 

4  of  4,  4  of  2  cubes  each,  3  of  1  cube  each. 

TWELVE    SQUARE    PRISMS. 

5  of  4  cubes  each,  7  of  1  cube  each,  etc. 

I  have  illustrated  in  perhaps  exhaustive  detail  the 
square  prisms  which  may  be  made  at  the  same  time 
from  the  component  cubesi^f  the  fifth  gift.     For  this 


214         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

procedure  I  have  had  two  reasons :  first,  to  give  a  sample 
of  the  great  number  of  instructive  forms  which  this  gift 
makes  possible ;  second,  to  show  what  beautiful  combina- 
tions proceed  from  these  forms. 

Of  these  combinations  I  will  mention  two  : 

I.  Place  two  or  more  square  prisms  one  above  the 
other,  taking  care  that  the  superimposed  prism  is  just 
half  the  size  of  the  one  upon  which  it  rests:  e.  g.,  upon 
a  square  prism  formed  of  eighteen  component  cubes  place 
one  of  nine  cubes ;  upon  a  square  prism  of  sixteen  com- 
ponent cubes  place  one  of  eight,  upon  this  one  of  four, 
then  in  order  one  of  two  cubes,  one  of  one  cube,  and  one 
of  one  half  cube. 

If,  now,  a  series  of  these  diminishing  square  prisms  or 
tablets  be  laid  one  upon  another,  in  such  a  way  that  the 
angles  of  one  tablet  always  touch  the  sides  of  its  prede- 
cessor, the  structure  resulting  will  be  both  pretty  and  in- 
structive. 

Again,  if  while  thus  arranging  the  tablets  each  tablet 
be  defined  relatively  to  its  predecessor  as  its  opposite  (be- 
cause of  the  contrast  in  position),  the  fact  will  impress 
itself  upon  the  mind  that  each  opposite  tablet  is  precisely 
half  the  size  of  the  preceding  or  principal  tablet  to  which 
it  refers.  Analogous  observations  may  of  course  be  made 
in  many  ways,  and  in  a  later  stage  of  development  receive 
accurate  expression  in  geometry.  As  illustrated  with  our 
gift  it  is  a  mere  experience  reached  through  play,  and  re- 
lates to  simple  perception  of  a  composite  whole,  together 
with  the  agreeable  impression  of  this  whole  upon  the  eye, 
and  through  the  eye  upon  the  feeling  and  disposition. 

The  following  words,  which  must  be  connected  with 
contrasting  observations  (i.  e.,  observation  of  the  form 
from   below  upward,  and   from   above   downward),  will 


THE  FIFTH  GIFT.  •  215 

tiiake  the  relative  sizes  of  the  different  tablets  clear  to  the 
child : 

Upward,  always  half  as  large ; 

Downward,  always  twice  as  large. 

Or,  with  each  single  tablet — 
I'm  twice  as  large  as  that  above  me, 
And  half  as  large  as  that  below ; 
But  though  twofold  I  appear, 
One  you'll  always  find  me  here. 

The  second  combination  alluded  to,  and  which  is  not 
less  interesting  than  the  one  already  considered,  is  as  fol- 
lows :  Unite  two  equal  square  prisms  by  their  edges  (or 
corners)  so  that  their  upper  surfaces  form  a  right  angle, 
and  connect  these  prisms  by  a  third  square  prism  extend- 
ing from  the  free  edge  of  one  to  the  free  edge  of  the  other. 
This  third  square  prism  will  contain  as  many  cubes  as 
both  the  two  forms  originally  united — e.  g. : 

Unite  two  cubes  by  their  edges  to  form  a  right  angle ; 
the  connecting  square  prism  will  contain  four  cubes. 

Unite  square  prisms  of  four  cubes  each ;  the  connect- 
ing square  prism  will  contain  eight  cubes. 

Unite  square  prisms  of  four  cubes  and  a  half  each  ;  the 
connecting  square  prism  will  contain  nine  cubes. 

Unite  square  prisms  of  eight  cubes  each  ;  the  connect- 
ing square  prism  will  contain  sixteen  cubes. 

Unite  square  prisms  of  nine  cubes  each  ;  the  connect- 
ing square  prism  will  contain  eighteen  cubes,  etc. 

If  desired,  this  process  may  be  described  in  rhyme  : 

Let  two  equal  square  prisms  in  a  right  angle  meet. 

The  prism  formed  is  twice  as  large  when  it  is  quite  complete. 

If  one  desires  that  the  explanatory  word  shall  accom- 
pany each  stage  of  the  rej^esentation  (by  which  means 


216         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

word,  act,  and  object  become  reciprocally  explanatory  and 
vitalizing),  the  following  lines  may  be  used  : 

If  you  can  by  an  edge  unite 

Two  equal  squares  *  with  an  angle  right, 

And  by  a  third  square  can  combine 

Two  other  edges  of  these  squares  in  line, 

This  last  third  square  will,  as  you  plainly  see, 

As  large  as  both  the  others  prove  to  be. 

For  the  further  development  of  this  group  of  forms 
we  must  refer  to  the  complete  directions  for  the  use  of 
this  gift.f 

It  need  here  only  be  added  that  the  discovery  and 
combination  of  geometric  forms  other  than  square  prisms 
is  also  full  of  interest,  and  that  the  mathematical  re- 
lationships thrown  into  relief  in  such  combinations  are 
most  interesting  and  instructive.  The  combinations  of 
hexagonal  prisms  may  be  mentioned  as  peculiarly  attract- 
ive. 

Up  to  this  point  the  child  has  been  incited  to  dis- 
cover figures  of  like  form  but  of  different  content.  He 
may  now  be  led  to  discover  figures  having  an  equal  cubic 
content  but  dissimilar  in  form — e.  g. : 

First  Series. 

1.  A  square  prism  of  four  cubes. 

2.  A  prism  with  trapezoidal  base,  of  four  cubes. 

3.  A  prism  (whose  bases  are  isosceles  triangles)  of 
four  cubes. 

[It  will  be  understood  that  half  cubes  are  used  in 
making  the  last  two  forms.] 

*  I.  e.,  square  surfaces  united  so  as  to  form  a  right  angle. 
f  These  directions  have  never  appeared. 


THE  FIFTH  GIFT.  217 

Second  Series. 

4.  A  square  prism  two  cubes  long,  one  cube  wide. 

5.  A  rhomboidal  prism  of  similar  length  and  width. 

6.  A  prism  whose  bases  are  isosceles  triangles,  made 
of  one  whole  and  two  half  cubes,  each  of  its  legs  or  lateral 
sides  being  of  the  length  of  two  cubes,  and  one  of  these 
sides  serving  as  its  base. 

TJiird  Series, 

7.  One  small  cube. 

8.  One  square  tablet  of  iour  cubes. 

9.  One  riglit  column  whose  bases  are  one  inch  square 
and  whose  height  is  four  inches. 

A  single  observation  brings  to  light  the  following 
facts : 

1.  Two  parallel-sided  quadrangles  having  like  bases 
are  equal,  if  of  the  same  height. 

Whatever  form  the  two  sides  show, 
Slanting  or  straight,  or  high  or  low, 
If  base  and  height  alike  you  see, 
The  contents  too  will  equal  be. 

2.  Any  parallel-sided  quadrangular  form  and  a  prism 
whose  bases  are  isosceles  triangles  are  of  equal  size  when 
with  the  same  altitude  the  base  of  the  latter  [i.  e.,  of  the 
triangle]  is  twice  as  large  as  the  base  of  the  former  [i.  e., 
of  the  quadrangle]. 

Four  corners  you  can  bring  to  view. 
While  only  three  /  show  to  you  ; 
And  see  now — I  am  just  as  tall 
As  you  ;  and  yet  that  is  not  all. 
For  I  can  cover  twice  the  ground : 
Our  contents  equal  thus  are  found. 

The  figures  of  the  second  series  when  compared  with 
one  another  throw  into  relief  the  first  of  the  above-men- 


218         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

tioned  facts.  Again,  the  quadrangular  figures  of  the 
second  series  when  compared  with  the  quadrangular  fig- 
ures of  the  first  series  show  that  one  parallelogram  has 
half  the  contents  of  another  when  with  equal  base  it  has 
half  the  altitude.  The  rhyme  for  this  is  easily  discov- 
ered. 

The  equality  of  the  triangle  of  this  series  with  its 
parallelograms  may  be  thus  expressed  : 

Four  corners  you  can  bring  to  view, 
While  only  three  I  show  to  you. 
Twice  as  tall  I  am  as  you, 
Just  as  long,  and  it  is  true 
That,  as  we  cover  equal  ground, 
Our  contents  equal  must  be  found. 

The  triangle  of  the  second  series  compared  with  that 
of  the  first  series  shows  that  one  triangle  is  half  the  size 
of  another  when  with  half  the  base  it  has  an  equal  alti- 
tude. 

In  the  third  series  the  bases  of  the  two  square  prisms 
show  : 

1.  Proceeding  from  the  smaller  to  the  larger  : 
When  the  base  and  altitude  of  one  square  prism  are 

equal  to  one  half  the  base  and  altitude  of  another,  its 
cubic  contents  are  only  one  fourth  as  great. 

2.  Proceeding  from  the  larger  to  the  smaller  : 
When  the  base  and  altitude  of  one  square  prism  are 

twice  as  great  as  the  base  and  altitude  of  another,  the 
cubic  contents  of  the  former  are  four  times  as  great  as 
those  of  the  latter. 

The  mathematical  truths  shown  in  this  third  series 
were  also  presented  to  perception  in  the  third  gift,  but 
repeated  experiences  are  of  great  profit  to  the  child. 

The   transition   from   these   forms   of  knowledge   to 


THE^  FIFTH  GIFT.  219 

forms  of  beauty  and  forms  of  life  is  a  very  simple  one. 
It  will,  however,  not  be  readily  discoverable  by  children, 
who  will,  on  the  contrary,  begin  at  once  with  forms  of  life. 

Forms  of  Life. 

The  one  permanent  and  indispensable  condition  in  the 
production  of  these  forms  of  life  is  that  in  each  total 
product  all  the  material  of  the  gift  shall  be  used.  Any 
piece  that  is  left  over  must  be  somehow  placed  in  relation 
to  the  whole,  and  appear  as  an  essential  member  of  the 
collective  representation.  Closely  following  the  inclina- 
tions of  the  child,  we  too  will  now  begin  with  the  forms 
of  life  ;  *  and  this  so  much  the  more,  because  the  mani- 
festations of  the  child  show  that  through  life  and  deed  he 
is  led  to  the  consideration  and  representation  of  the  beau- 
tiful and  the  true  ;  and,  again,  that  it  is  the  apprehension 
of  the  beautiful  which  leads  to  consideration,  representa- 
tion, and  apprehension  of  the  true.  The  child,  in  a  word, 
follows  the  same  path  as  the  man,  and  advances  from  use  to 
beauty,  and  from  beauty  to  truth. 

In  presenting  this  gift  I  have,  however,  purposely  given 
the  precedence  to  the  forms  of  knowledge.  My  object  is  to 
make  parents  and  kindergartners  familiar  with  the  nature 
of  the  gift  and  its  possible  mathematical  combinations. 
In  proportion  as  the  leader  is  thoroughly  acquainted  with 
the  material  of  the  gift  will  be  the  profit  of  the  plays  to 
which  he  or  she  will  incite  the  child,  and  the  pleasure  of 
such  plays  both  to  leader  and  child. 

With  regard  to  the  production  of  forms  of  life  the 

*  Froebel  means  that  whereas  in  presenting  the  gift  he  has  be- 
gun with  forms  of  knowledge,  the  true  point  of  departure  for  chil- 
dren must  always  be  the  forms  of  life. 
17  S 


m 


220         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 


same  principle  holds  good  as  in  the  production  of  forms 
of  knowledge.  It  is  essential  to  proceed  from  the  cube 
as  a  whole.  In  this  way  the  conception  of  the  whole,  of 
unity,  stamps  itself  upon  the  child's  mind,  and  the  evo- 
lution of  the  particular,  partial  and  manifold,  from  unity 
is  illustrated. 

If,  now,  the  box  is  packed,  as  above  described,  so  that 
the  divided  component  cubes  lie  beneath  on  the  bottom 
of  it,  it  is  only  necessary  for  the  child  at  the  beginning 
of  the  play  to  reverse  the  box,  draw  away  the  cover,  raise 
the  box  vertically  and  take  it  away,  and  the  cube  stands 
in  complete  order  before  the  *  child.  The  object  may  be 
brought  near  to  the  life  of  the  child  by  the  words :  A 
table — a  table  ;  a  house— a  house ;  or  whatever  else  the 
imagination  compares  it  to  or  will  see  in  it. 

From  this  an  armchair  or  a  seat  can  be  immediately 
made ;  it  is  necessary  merely  to  place  the  row  of  halved 
cubes  upon  the  row  of  undivided  cubes ;  this  gives  the 
back ;  the  cubes  divided  in  quarters  can  then  be  easily 
separated,  and  each  two  quarters  placed  together  in  a 
little  four-sided  column  for  arms  on  both  sides,  three  col- 
umns to  each  side.  This  chair  can  be  again  easily  changed 
into  a  divan  (seat  of  repose),  and  this  again  into  a  sofa. 
From  this  is  then  soon  formed  another  armchair  with 
half  oblique  back  and  arms,  and  footbench,  from  which 
can  be  easily  made  a  bedstead^  a  child^s  bed,  etc. 

Proceeding  again  from  the  cube,  a  large  business  table 
may  be  represented  ;  from  this  two  different  sideboards,  a 
2oriting  table,  with  a  chair,  and  a  basket  for  paper.  Al- 
though his  representations  are  not  before  him  at  one 
time,  yet  the  child  can  comprise  them  all  in  rhyme,  bring 
them  before  himself  in  perception  and  remembrance,  and 
so  survey  them  as  a  whole ;  for  example  : 


TEE  FIFTH  GIFT.  221 

See  how  many  a  pretty  thing 
I  always  from  the  cube  can  bring ; 
Chair  and  sofa,  bench  and  table, 
Desk  to  write  at  when  I'm  able, 
All  the  household  furniture, 
Even  baby's  bed,  I'm  sure ; 
Not  a  few  such  things  I  see ; 
Stove  and  sideboard  here  can  be. 
Many  things,  both  old  and  new, 
My  dear  cube  brings  into  view ; 
So  my  cube  much  pleases  me. 
Because  through  it  so  much  I  see. 
It  is  a  little  world. 

Again,  proceeding  from  the  cube,  we  obtain  one  large 
and  two  small  traveling  trunks  with  arched  lids ;  in  the 
first  an  empty  space  of  the  size  of  one  component  cube. 

From  this,  again,  the  course  is  quite  simple  and  easy 
to  buildings  and  houses,  which  the  children  especially 
like  to  make.  House  and  room,  table  and  bench,  are 
usually  the  first  things  the  child  represents,  and  he  likes 
the  former  best  opened  with  doors  and  windows.  This  is 
quite  natural,  for  the  child's  world,  from  the  remem- 
brance of  which  come  his  formations  and  his  concep- 
tions, is  at  first  principally  confined  to  house  and  room^ 
table,  bench,  and  bed.  ..  '^ 

The  child's  life  moves  from  the  house  and  its  living- 
rooms,  through  kitchen  and  cellar,*  through  yard  and 
garden,  to  the  wider  space  and  activity  of  streci  and  mar- 
ket, and  this  expansion  of  life  is  clearly  reflested  in  the 
order  and  development  of  his  productions. 

House  stairs^  and  outside  steps,  wells,  church,  public 
hall,  the  whole  village  with  its  principal  buildings,  then 

*  The  child  also  loves  to  build  kitchen  and  cellar,  iicited  there- 
to, perhaps,  by  the  fascination  of  the  hidden  and  mysterious. 


222         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

again  the  public  oven  alone,  the  market  place ^  and  here 
again  the  townhall  or  the  guardhouse^  the  city  gate^ 
and,  going  out  through  this,  the  bridge  appears.  It  may 
be  seen  from  this  how  intimately  my  gifts  are  connected 
with  the  course  of  the  child's  inner  and  outer  develop- 
ment; how  they  promote  and  illuminate  this  develop- 
ment ;  how  the  child  by  means  of  them  strengthens  and, 
as  it  were,  grows  out  of  himself.  His  representations  pro- 
ceed from  his  nearest  experiences,  and  are  intimately  con- 
nected with  them.  The  child  is  not  forcibly  torn  away 
from  his  inner  world  and  from  his  environment.  But 
the  mother  or  kindergartner  has  many  opportunities  of 
correcting  the  child's  perceptions  by  his  representations ; 
and  the  amendments  will  be  gladly  accepted  by  the  child 
if  only  they  lie  within  the  circle  of  his  experiences  and 
ideas.  As  these  building  gifts  afford  a  means  of  clearing 
the  perceptions  of  the  child,  they  give  occasion  for  ex- 
tending these  perceptions,  and  for  representing  in  their 
essential  parts,  objects  of  which  the  child  has  only  heard, 
as  was  the  case  in  the  above  representations.  (Thus  the 
village  child  has  heard  only  of  the  guardhouse,  and  the 
city  child  of  the  public  oven,  and  probably  neither  of 
them  has  seen  the  monuments,  the  columns  of  honor,  the 
lighthouses,  the  hermitages,  etc.,  which  may  also  be  rep- 
resented.) Instructive  and  elevating  explanations  and 
stories,  forming  mind  and  heart,  can  be  joined  with  these 
representations  of  the  children,  and  experience  has  shown 
that  children  are  then  doubly  attentive ;  it  seems  as  if  the 
story  made  more  impression  on  the  child  when  referring 
to  his  own  work. 

Children  of  five  years  of  age,  who  have  gone  through 
with  similar  exercises  with  the  previous  gifts,  can  build  in 
common  at  the  same  time.     For  example  : 


THE  FIFTH  GIFT,  223 

Lay  four  times  two  whole  cubes  in  an  oblong  before 
you ;  place  perpendicularly  upon  them  again  four  times 
two  whole  cubes.  Over  each  two  cubes  lay  two  half 
cubes,  so  that  they  touch  in  the  middle  by  their  sharp 
edges;  with  the  last  two  cubes,  each  of  the  two  half 
cubes  yet  required  is  represented  by  two  quarters.  In  the 
long  hollow  thus  made  sink  four  whole  cubes.  What 
have  you  made  which  now  stands  before  each  of  you  ? 
"  A  house  with  an  overhanging  roof,  four  cubes  high  and 
two  cubes  broad." 

What  have  each  of  you  still  left  ?  "  A  whole  cube  and 
two  cubes  each  divided  into  quarters." 

Place  the  one  whole  cube  by  the  right  gable  exactly  in 
the  middle  of  the  wall. 

Place  one  of  the  cubes,  divided  into  quarters,  in  the 
same  way,  in  the  middle  of  the  left  gable  wall. 

Divide  the  quartered  cube  into  two  halves,  and  lay 
each  of  these  halves  in  roof  form  on  each  of  the  two  cubes 
so  that  the  two  small  roofs  shall  slope  in  the  same  direc- 
tion as  the  large  roof.  What  have  you  now?  "Two 
little  outbuildings  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  house." 
"  A  large  house  with  two  little  outbuildings,  one  on  each 
side,  each  of  the  size  of  one  cube,  with  an  overhanging 
roof  of  a  half  cube."  Can  you,  each  of  you,  now  build 
this  alone  ?    "  Yes  !  yes !  "    Well,  then,  do  it. 

This  play  also  gives  great  pleasure.  This  pleasure,  as 
well  as  the  principal  characteristics  of  his  product,  can 
also  be  expressed  by  the  child  in  song : 

A  house,  a  house,  a  house  ! 
A  house  belongs  to  me. 
A  house,  a  house,  a  house ! 
Come  here,  come  here  and  see ! 
In  length  it  is  four  cubes, 
In  breadth  it%  two  cubes ; 


224        PEDAGOGICS  OF 

In  this  house  one  has  no  fear. 
Room,  in  grief  and  joy,*  is  here 
It  is  two  cubes  high ; 
A  broad  roof  here  I  spy. 
For  smaller  matters  stand 
Two  houses  at  each  hand. 

In  order  further  to  exercise  the  child's  power  of  mem- 
ory and  conception,  all  the  space  in  the  house  may  be 
filled  with  things  with  which  the  child  is  familiar ;  for  ex- 
ample, here  is  the  sitting-room,  here  the  kitchen,  etc. 

A  quite  peculiar  kind  of  architecture  which  the  chil- 
dren like  very  much  is  that  which  is  designated  by  the 
name  of  art  building  ;  the  forms  originate  especially  in  a 
separation  and  grouping  of  the  parts  determined  by  sym- 
metry and  proportion,  principally  in  vertical  mural  sur- 
face extension,  but  also  in  erections  having  in  both 
horizontal  and  vertical  extension  at  the  same  time ;  these 
erections  receive,  then,  predominantly  the  character  and 
expression  of  the  columnar  and  monumental. 

From  this  art  building  in  horizontal  and  vertical  ex- 
tension proceed  then  easily 

The  Picture  Forms,  or  Forms  of  Beauty. 

These  forms  of  beauty  may,  however,  also  be  pro- 
duced by  proceeding  from  certain  forms  of  life  and  archi- 
tectural forms — e.  g.,  from  a  four-sided  well,  or  from  a 
square  table  with  ornaments  and  four  cushioned  seats. 

With  these  forms  of  beauty  it  is  above  all  important 
that  they  be  developed  one  from  another.  Each  form  in 
the  series  should  be  a  modification  or  transformation  of 
its  predecessor.     No  form  should  be  entirely  destroyed. 

*  "  Gibt  Raum  in  Leid  und  Freud'." 


THE  FIFTH  GIFT.  225 

It  is  also  essential  that  the  series  should  be  developed  so 
that  each  step  should  show  either  an  evolution  into 
greater  manifold ness  and  variety,  or  a  return  to  greater 
simplicity.  These  points  have  been  already  discussed  in 
connection  with  the  forms  of  life,  and  also  in  the  chap- 
ters devoted  to  the  consideration  of  the  third  and  fourth 
gifts. 

We  may  either  let  the*  child  proceed  voluntarily  to 
these  forms  from  any  chosen  form  of  life,  or  we  may 
make  the  series  of  picture  forms  proceed  from  a  fixed 
and  simple  starting  point.  Before,  however,  carrying  out 
the  latter  course  the  following  fact  should  be  consid- 
ered : 

The  fifth  gift  is  a  cube  of  three  times  three  times 
three,  and  contains  twenty-seven  component  cubes. 
Therefore  either  the  equilateral  triangular  form  or  the 
square  form  can  be  represented  by  it.  Thus  all  the  forms 
of  beauty  of  the  fifth  gift  are  essentially  different  from 
those  of  the  third  and  fourth  gifts  in  this,  that  they 
separate  themselves  into  two  great  distinct  series  : 

The  series  of  squares  and  the  series  of  triangles. 

The  surest  foundation  of  both,  as  series  of  cultivation 
an^  development,  is  found  in  the  forms  of  knowledge. 
This  foundation  of  the  first  series  is  found  in  that  form 
of  knowledge  in  which  the  cube  is  divided  into  four 
prisms  (whose  bases  are  isosceles  triangles,  each  of  which 
is  composed  of  four  and  a  half  component  cubes),  and 
one  square  prism  or  tablet  of  nine  cubes,  around  which 
the  four  triangular  prisms  are  arranged  in  a  square  form. 
(See  Supplement,  Plate  XII,  Fig.  1.) 

The  second  series  of  forms  of  beauty  (the  triangular 
forms),  on  the  contrary,  find  their  best  foundation  in 
that   form   of  knowledge  ii^  which  the  cube  is  divided 


?26         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

from  right  to  left  into  three  equal  beam-shaped  parts. 
These  parts  are  easily  put  together,  so  as  to  inclose  an 
equilateral  triangle.  Each  of  the  sides  of  this  inclosure 
is  nine  cubes  long.     (See  Plate  X,  Fig.  4.) 

We  contemplate  here,  first  of  all,  a  series  of  forms  of 
beauty  which  can  be  developed  from  the  fundamental 
form  of  the  square.     (See  Plate  XII,  Fig.  1.) 

The  essential  beauty  and  the  developing  and  forming 
influence  of  these  plays,  for  which  the  greatest  freedom 
is  always  given  in  respect  to  the  choice  of  the  starting 
point,  consist  in  the  fact  that  when  a  way  of  formation 
and  development,  a  way  of  representation,  is  once  entered 
upon,  and  we  wish  to  come  to  a  definite,  clear  aim  in  a 
definite,  clear  manner,  we  must  always  proceed  in  accord- 
ance with  the  chosen  way  till  we  attain  to  the  ultimate 
aim  of  the  development.  This  course  of  development, 
everywhere  perceptible  in  these  plays,  expresses  itself 
here  with  special  clearness. 

In  the  second  place,  it  is  important  that  each  line  of 
development  entered  upon  be  clearly,  sharply,  and  exactly 
apprehended  both  by  ourselves  and  by  the  playing  child. 
Perception  must  be  clear,  use  and  adaptation  exact,  and 
the  words  in  which  our  procedure  is  described  specific. 
This  manner  of  carrying  out  the  play  is  of  every  possible 
advantage,  not  only  in  its  influence  in  the  culture  of  the 
child's  intellect,  heart,  and  practical  efficiency,  but  also 
in  its  power  of  creating  a  trustful  relationship  between 
the  nurturer  and  the  nurtured,  mother  and  child,  kinder- 
gartner  and  pupil.  Such  a  trustful  relationship  is  kept 
intact  by  an  easily  comprehended  interchange  of  thought 
and  act. 

So  in  the  case  before  us,  especially  with  the  execution 
of  the   first  series   of  the    forms   of   beauty   proceeding 


THE  FIFTH  GIFT.  227 

from  the  square.  (Compare  the  above-named  Plate  XII, 
Figs.  1-6.) 

Inner  and  outer  are  pure  opposites  ;  therefore  it  may 
be  left  to  the  playing  child  himself  to  begin  his  changes 
from  the  square  prism  in  the  middle,  or  from  the  four 
triangular  prisms  outside.  Inner  and  outer  appear  also 
in  each  of  these  two  cases  as  opposites  ;  and  so  the  play- 
ing child  may  begin  his  play  either  in  the  middle  of  the 
square  prism  or  in  its  outer  cubes  ;  either  with  the  inner 
or  outer  sides  of  the  triangular  prism. 

A  still  further  choice  is  whether  the  movement  shal] 
be  on  all  sides  (that  is,  on  four  sides),  or  on  two  and  two. 
Each  beginning  requires  a  specific  development,  as  a  cer- 
tain limitation  is  always  implied  in  so  much  change  and 
freedom.  Of  course,  each  series  of  development  may  be 
broken  off  at  any  stage,  and  a  new  one  entered  upon, 
but  then  the  playing  child  should  himself  (in  the  stated 
manner,  although  not  by  words,  yet  clearly,  according  to 
the  object  and  the  perception)  give  an  account  of  the 
connected  ways  of  formation  through  which  the  accom- 
plished form  has  resulted. 

We  will  now  proceed  from  the  fundamental  form 
(Plate  XII,  Fig.  1).  This  form,  though  simple,  bears  a 
great  variety  within  itself  and  renders  a  yet  greater  one 
possible.  The  way  of  formation  is  that  of  unfolding 
from  the  middle  on  all  sides. 

Firstly,  therefore,  the  four  cubes  a  in  the  corners  of 
the  square  prism  are  moved  outward  in  a  straight  direc- 
tion to  the  point  where  they  are,  as  it  were,  fixed  fast. 
Kow,  the  four  cubes  h  move  in  the  same  way  to  the  four 
sides  of  the  square ;  these  together,  when  accomplished, 
give  the  form  (Plate  XII,  Fig.  2). 

This  movement  of  both  4^  continued,  bringing  the 


228         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

first  four  cubes  a  to  the  corners  of  the  principal  square 
prism,  and  the  second  four  cubes  h  to  the  place  of  the 
cubes  a,  giving  the  form  in  Plate  XII,  Fig.  3. 

These  eight  cubes,  continuing  their  path  of  formation 
symmetrically  (round  to  the  right  or  to  the  left),  give  the 
form  in  Plate  XII,  Fig.  4. 

If  this  way  of  development  is  further  continued,  this 
gives  again  the  outward  appearance  of  Fig.  3,  although 
represented  by  wholly  different  cubes  or  members— that 
is,  where  the  cube  or  member  a  stood  before,  the  cube 
or  member  h  now  stands,  and  where  h  stood  a  now 
stands.  The  position  of  the  cubes  has  thus  wholly 
changed,  notwithstanding  the  outward  appearance  is  the 
same. 

This  change  in  the  members  of  a  whole,  while  the 
whole  itself  remains  the  same,  is  a  fact  of  great  impor- 
tance for  the  child  to  observe.  It  is  a  law  of  Nature  and 
of  life,  and  one  which  must  be  recognized  in  studying 
Nature  and  life.  Hence  in  the  course  of  our  plays  it 
shall  be  frequently  referred  to,  though  only  in  the  way  of 
cursory  suggestion.  Other  important  laws  of  Nature  and 
development  will  be  dealt  with  in  the  same  way — e.  g., 
the  law  that  the  course  of  development  may  be  different, 
but  its  point  of  departure  must  always  be  either  from 
within,  from  without,  or  from  that  which  mediates  inner 
and  outer. 

The  four  cubes  a  now  return  to  their  places,  the  four 
cubes  h  remain,  as  it  were,  firmly  fixed  at  the  corners; 
this  gives  the  first  part  of  the  form  (Plate  XII,  Fig.  5). 

Now  the  developments  begin  in  the  four  triangular 
prisms,  in  the  middle  of  the  longer  sides  (which  are  turned 
inward),  and  with  the  half  cubes  each  of  which  is  again  di- 
vided into  two  parts  or  quarters ;  first,  they  may,  while 


,  THE  FIFTH  GIFT.  229 

still  united,  merely  step  forth  from  their  connection  with 
the  whole,  giving  the  form  Fig.  5. 

But  now  they  may  themselves  separate,  and,  as  it  were, 
one  half  be  attracted  by  the  middle,  one  half  by  the  out- 
side. But  at  the  same  time  a  development  may  proceed 
in  the  right-angled  corners  of  the  triangular  prism,  so  that 
the  outside  corner  cube  Z*,  with  the  one  already  standing 
at  the  corner,  may  touch  the  two  whole  cubes  of  the  cen- 
tral prism  by  their  edges.     This  gives  Fig.  6. 

With  these  ways  of  formation,  the  precise  aims  and 
final  form  toward  which  the  whole  course  of  development 
works,  should  be  kept  in  mind,  so  that  at  last  the  whole 
appears  as  a  purely  encircling  form,  or  as  a  rectangular 
ray-form,  or  as  a  wheel-form,  connecting  the  two. 

Each  of  these  conceptions,  again,  admits  of  a  double 
manner  of  representation,  and  the  environing  form  may 
be  either  a  circle  or  a  square ;  the  crossing  rays  may  be 
either  in  right  or  oblique  position,  and  the  same  may  be 
said  of  the  connection  of  both. 

Be  it  here  remarked,  in  respect  to  all  forms  of  beauty 
developed  both  from  the  square  or  the  triangular  prism, 
that  it  is  essentially  good  if  they  be  brought  before  the 
playing  child  for  quiet,  clear,  thoughtful  consideration, 
even  if  this  be  actually  only  through  the  relations  of  num- 
ber. Thus  we  may  proceed  from  a  corner,  which  we 
touch  with  the  fingers,  accompanying  the  act  with  words 

as  follows : 

Two  and  four  and  one  and  three. 

Or,  while  contemplating  the  circle  form : 

Two  and  two  and  two  and  two, 
Four  and  four  and  four  and  four, 
One  and  one  and  one  and  one, 
Three  and  three,  ^ree  and  three  more  I 


230        PEDAGOGICS  OP  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

Or— 

Four  times  two, 
Four  times  four, 
Four  times  one, 

and 
Four  times  three ! 

(Compare  Plate  XII,  Fig.  6.) 

The  fact  remains  to  be  brought  out  that  very  beauti- 
ful forms  of  connection  show  themselves  between  the 
forms  of  beauty  from  the  square  prism  and  the  forms  of 
life  or  architectural  forms ;  these  are  the  forms  used  in 
fortification.  Reference  can  here  be  made  only  to  Plate 
VIII,  of  the  forms  of  beauty  in  the  lithographed  pages  of 
the  fifth  gift.  A  connoisseur  in  art  said  about  this  that 
Fig.  42,  Plate  VIII,  is  actually  the  simple  fundamental 
form  of  the  art  of  fortification. 

We  now  turn  to  the  triangular  forms  of  beauty. 

As  the  starting  point,  it  appears  here  best  and  simplest 
to  proceed  from  a  triangular  inclosure,  each  side  of  which 
is  bounded  by  7iine  part  cubes,  and  then  fix  upon  the  con- 
dition of  advancement,  viz.,  that  the  triangle  remains  the 
fundamental  form  of  each  newly  developed  figure ;  but 
that,  in  order  to  attain  at  the  same  time  greater  change 
and  greater  variety,  one  cube  more  at  each  change  is  by 
degrees  set  free  for  voluntary  movement;  so  that  the  first 
boundary  form  contains  on  each  of  its  sides  ni7ie^  the 
second  eighty  the  third  seven  of  our  component  cubes,  etc., 
and  in  the  second  case  owe,  in  the  third  two  component 
cubes,  or  their  parts,  are  destined  for  alternating  move- 
ment. (Compare  Plate  XIII,  Fig.  1,  the  starting  point ; 
in  each  of  its  sides  are  nine  component  cubes.) 

Since  each  side,  according  to  the  stated  limitation, 
must  contain  this  number,  so  here  no  other  alteration  can 


THE  FIFTH  GIFT.  231 

be  further  undertaken  than  shifting  the  cubes  inside  the 
series,  either  toward  the  inside  or  outside,  yet  only  so  that 
the  direct  coherence  within  the  sides  and  among  the  cubes 
be  not  thereby  broken  up;  thus  that  the  pushed-out  cube 
be  pushed  out  of  a  certain  part  (one  fourth,  one  half,  three 
fourths,  etc.)  of  the  one  side,  but  always  so  that  side  re- 
main connected  with  side.  Each  side  of  the  original 
form,  which  at  first  was  straight,  may  now  appear  as  a 
broken  line,  or  as  a  serpentine  line  bending  in  and  out  at 
one  side  or  at  the  other,  or  as  a  wholly  curved  line,  bend- 
ing either  inward  or  outward. 

Simple  as  this  alteration  appears,  it  yet  yields  very 
manifold  forms,  and  pleases  the  child  just  on  account  of 
the  ease  with  which  it  can  be  accomplished. 

Now  a  cube  is  set  free  for  play,  that  is,  for  movement 
(Plate  XIII,  Fig.  2).  What  different  positions  may  this 
one  cube  take  ? 

It  may  move  either  inside  or  outside  of  the  inclosing 
cubes. 

In  each  of  these  two  cases,  again,  it  may  be  placed 
either  in  the  angle  (on  the  corner)  or  at  the  side  ;  and 
here,  again,  either  with  a  side  or  with  an  edge  turned 
toward  the  side  or  the  angle  (corner)  of  the  inclosing 
line  of  cubes. 

There  are  thus  given  six  different  forms,  which,  how- 
ever, in  the  series  of  their  representation  yield  a  logical 
whole,  so  that  the  child  gains  practice  in  seeking  for 
logical  members. 

Further,  these  three  free  cubes  may  combine  in  the 
center  of  the  triangle,  and  here,  again,  in  a  threefold 
manner:  either  always  with  an  edge,  or  always  with  a 
side  of  each  turned  toward  the  other  ;  or,  thirdly,  in  con- 
nection, so  that  the    edge  of   the  one  cube   is    always 


232         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

turned  toward  and  touches  the  side  of  the  other.  In  the 
first  case,  three  edges  touch  in  the  center ;  in  the  second 
case,  each  two  edges,  and  this  three  times. 

Here,  again,  is  rendered  prominent  the  law  so  highly 
important  for  life,  and  therefore  so  manifoldly  expressed 
in  nature,  and  hence,  also,  in  my  series  of  gifts — the 
law,  viz.,  that  in  nature  and  in  life  a  third  connecting 
appearance  always  shows  itself  between  two  purely  oppo- 
site appearances.  This  phenomenon  was  pointed  out  as 
essential  even  with  the  forms  of  beauty  of  the  third  gift, 
and  on  account  of  its  deep  significance  we  shall  often 
return  to  it  in  the  course  of  our  demonstration. 

Yet  the  alterations  which  are  possible  with  a  trian- 
gular form,  one  side  of  which  contains  eight  component 
cubes,  thus  leaving  one  cube  for  free  play,  are  by  no 
means  exhausted  by  what  has  been  now  brought  forward* 
This  whole  component  cube  may  again  be  diagonally 
divided  into  two  equal  parts,  or,  otherwise  expressed, 
instead  of  playing  with  one  whole  cube  the  child  may 
be  permitted  to  play  with  two  half  cubes  in  the  stated 
division.  To  give  here  all  the  alterations  which  are  pos- 
sible in  this  case  would  be  impracticable,  easy  as  they  are 
in  the  execution. 

The  principal  alterations  may  be :  First,  the  two 
halves  are  divided  (see  Plate  XIII,  Fig.  3) ;  then,  again, 
combined  to  form  a  prism  whose  bases  are  a  right-angled 
triangle. 

In  the  first  case,  not  only  may  all  the  combinations 
above  given  with  one  cube  be  carried  out — for  example, 
so  that  both  stand  either  on  the  side  of  the  line  of  in- 
closing cubes,  or  in  the  angle  where  two  lines  meet,  and 
here,  again,  placed  toward  the  outside  or  toward  the  in- 
side;   but  these  positions   may  also  be   manifoldly  con- 


THE  FIFTH  GIFT.  233 

nected  ;  for  instance,  one  outside,  one  inside ;  one  at  the 
side  and  one  in  the  angle  or  at  the  corner. 

In  the  second  case,  where  the  two  halves  appear  as 
triangular  prisms,  at  least  all  the  combinations  take  place 
which  have  already  been  given  above  with  one  cube,  so 
that  it  is  easy  to  suppose,  and  by  calculation  approxi- 
mately find,  that  about  one  hundred  combinations,  or 
rather  different  representations,  are  possible  by  means  of 
the  cube  divided  into  two  halves.  And  we  are  still  a 
great  distance  from  the  end.  One  of  the  half  cubes  may 
be  again  divided  into  two  quarters,  so  that  thus  the  alter- 
able members  are  three :  one  half  and  two  quarters  for 
each  side.  What  a  multitude  of  connections  and  alter- 
ations are  given  by  these  three  members,  only  at  one  side 
and  only  in  one  direction  I  The  total  number  of  repre- 
sentations beginning  with  these  three  members,  accord- 
ing to  a  general  estimate,  may  amount  to  nearly  three 
hundred.  Notwithstanding,  we  are  not  yet  at  an  end 
with  the  representations  by  means  of  one  cube ;  for  the 
second  half  cube  may  be  replaced  by  two  more  quarters,  so 
that  thus  four  quarters  are  free  to  move.  Let  us  here, 
again,  assume  as  possible  only  five  hundred  new  altera- 
tions, which  is  certainly  not  too  much  in  proportion  to  the 
former  ones ;  then  with  the  triangle  (Fig.  1),  where  eight 
part  cubes  are  on  each  side  and  one  part  cube  either  un- 
divided or  in  two  halves,  or  in  one  half  and  two  quarters, 
or  in  four  quarters,  is  free  for  alternate  transposition, 
nearly  one  thousand  different  representations  are  possible. 

It  may  easily  be  seen  from  this  how  necessary  it  is  to 
separate  and  classify  the  number  of  possible  representa- 
tions, so  that  the  child  may  not  be  oppressed,  or  at  least 
wearied,  by  their  multitude.  A  want  of  classification 
is  the  bane  of  all   the  combination  plays   for   children 


234         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

which  have  till  now  been  known  to  me,  and  the  said 
plays  lose  by  this  their  formative  influence  for  spirit  and 
mind,  as  well  as  their  applicability  for  life.  But  here 
each  limitation  made  excludes  a  countless  number  of 
forms,  and  the  child  and  kindergartner  easily  find  their 
way  amid  the  manifoldness  of  possible  forms,  and  define 
the  place  where  they  stand.  This  may  at  least  be  done 
by  the  guide  who  is  a  true  guide  in  virtue  of  ability  to 
make  such  limitation  and  discrimination.  Thus  these 
plays  are  not  oppressive  and  wearying,  do  not  lead  into 
unfathomable  depths,  but,  on  the  contrary,  are  truly 
strengthening  and  developing.  The  educator  at  least 
always  knows  where  he  is  at  home,  whence  the  child  pro- 
ceeds, whither  his  direction  tends,  and  to  what  side  he 
turns. 

As  in  the  preceding  series  there  were  always  eight 
cubes  remaining  in  each  side  of  the  inclosing  form,  so  in 
the  next  there  must  be  but  seven  ;  thus  tivo  cubes  are  free 
for  play.  These  two  may  now  be  either  both  undivided 
(see  Plate  XIII,  Fig.  4),  or  one  cube  undivided,  the 
other  divided ;  and,  again,  either  into  two  halves,  or  into 
one  half  and  two  quarters;  or  into  four  quarters  (Fig.  5). 
Or  both  cubes  are  divided  either  into  four  halves,  or  into 
three  halves  and  two  quarters;  or  into  two  halves  and 
four  quarters  (Fig.  G)  ;  or  into  one  half  and  six  quarters ; 
or  into  eight  quarters. 

Whoever  has  attentively  followed  the  course  of  play 
up  to  this  point  will  be  aware  of  the  great  number  of 
possible  representations,  and  will  realize  how  essential  to 
the  welfare  of  the  child  it  is  to  restrict  the  freedom  of 
change  by  limiting  it  to  fixed  members  and  by  determin- 
ing it  to  a  definite  direction  and  goal. 

It  is  evident  that  with  all  the  representations  indi- 


THE  FIFTH  GIFT.  235 

cated  may  be  connected  a  movement  in  the  environing 
cubes.  This  form  of  change  has  purposely  been  omitted, 
in  order  not  to  bewilder  the  imagination  with  too  much 
variety.  These  pushings  in  and  out  may,  however,  be 
carried  out  practically  with  the  different  representations, 
and  will  give  to  the  play  an  entirely  new  charm.  Here  I 
can  only  refer  to  the  lithograph  plates  for  the  fifth  gift, 
especially  Plate  B,  Figs.  10,  11,  and  12,  where  such  rep- 
resentations are  carried  out. 

The  smaller  the  number  of  the  cubes  which  must  re- 
main in  one  side  of  the  fundamental  form,  the  more  nu- 
merous in  parts  and  the  richer  in  structure  become  the 
representations.  The  individual  parts  as  well  as  the 
whole  also  tend  toward  the  curved  form.  I  must  here 
again  refer  to  the  lithograph  plates  of  this  gift,  especially 
Plates  C  and  D. 

From  this  point  the  progress  can  be  easily  made  to 
two  and  two  sided  forms,  rectangular  as  well  as  curved, 
and  from  these  to  the  circle  as  the  conclusion  of  the 
whole  series  of  representations. 

From  these  forms  approximating  to  the  circle  there  is 
an  easy  transition  to  the  representation  of  the  different 
kinds  of  cog-wheels,  and  hence  to  a  crude  preliminary 
idea  of  mechanics. 

Mediational  between  the  triangular  forms  of  beauty 
and  the  forms  of  life  are  the  representations  of  intrench- 
ments,  sconces,  and  redoubts.  Allusion  has  been  made 
to  forms  of  this  kind  in  connection  with  the  transitions 
from  forms  of  beauty  based  upon  the  square  and  forms 
of  life.  A  few  of  these  are  given  on  the  lithograph 
plates  of  the  fifth  gift— life  forms  (Plate  XIX). 

As  the  outcome  of  the  representations  indicated  it  is 
clear  that  in  the  forms  made  with  the  fifth  gift  there 
•         18  % 


286         PEDAGOGICS  OP  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

rules  a  living  spirit  of  unity.  Even  members  and  direc- 
tions which  are  apparently  isolated  are  discovered  to  be 
related  by  significant  connecting  members  and  links,  and 
the  whole  shows  itself  in  all  its  parts  as  one  and  living 
— therefore  also  as  a  life-rousing,  life-nurturing,  and  life- 
developing  totality. 

In  conclusion,  just  a  single  word  with  regard  to  the 
use  of  the  lithographed  leaves. 

These  leaves  are  intended  originally  and  predomi- 
nantly for  parents  and  kindergartners,  and  their  object 
is  to  help  the  person  who  is  to  guide  the  child's  play  to  a 
comprehensive  view  of  the  gift  as  a  whole,  in  order  that 
she  may  intelligently  follow  the  indications  given  by  the 
children,  and  may  be  able  to  show  to  the  latter  the  mean- 
ing of  their  own  productions,  and  the  connection  of  these 
productions  with  their  life,  its  moving  impulses  and  its 
demands. 

Later,  when  the  children  have  discovered  and  made 
several,  or  indeed  most,  of  the  things  represented  by  the 
plates,  or  at  least  similar  ones,  then  the  diagrams  rep- 
resenting the  things  they  have  themselves  formed  may 
be  shown  to  them  for  imitation.  This  serves  several 
purposes  :  it  gives  them  a  picture  of  what  they  have 
already  represented  and  may  again  represent  like  the 
picture ;  it  makes  their  insight  into  the  whole  more  clear, 
and  it  extends  their  survey ;  finally,  it  develops  their 
power  of  thought,  makes  their  conceptions  richer  and 
more  definite,  and  their  representations  of  these  concep- 
tions more  sure  and  fixed.  Thus  it  awakens  in  them  the 
power  and  desire  to  increase  such  conceptions  by  the 
contemplation  of  sculpture  and  pictures,  whenever  they 
have  an  opportunity. 


XIV. 

MOVEMENT   PLAYS. 
(See  Plates  XIV,  XV.) 

In  every  activity  and  deed  of  man — yes,  even  in  every 
activity  of  the  smallest  child — is  expressed  a  relationship. 
Each  act  attempts  to  promote  some  end  or  to  represent 
some  idea.  To  realize  his  aims,  man,  and  more  par- 
ticularly the  child,  requires  a  material  (a  substantial  par- 
ticular means,  though  it  be  only  a  bit  of  wood,  or  a  peb- 
ble) with  which  he  makes  something  or  which  he  makes 
into  something.  In  order  to  lead  the  child  to  the  han- 
dling of  material,  we  gave  him  the  ball ;  the  sphere  which 
develops  from  it ;  the  cube  and  the  other  bodies  discussed 
in  the  chapters  relating  to  the  kindergarten  gifts.  Each 
of  these  gifts  incites  the  child  to  free  self-activity,  to  in- 
dependent movement.  Up  to  the  present,  however,  no 
special  consideration  has  been  given  to  the  movement 
plays  which  develop  from  the  gifts.  This  omission  has 
been  deliberate,  and  has  been  in  the  spirit  of  my  general 
method  of  development  and  nurture — a  method  which 
descends  from  the  universal  to  the  particular,  from  the 
whole  to  the  part,  from  unity  to  diversity.  Now,  how- 
ever, that  we  have  reached  a  determinate  point  in  the 
consideration  of  those  plays  which  require  a  given  ma- 
terial, it  is  well  that  we  should  also  give  our  attention  to 


238         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

the  pure  movement  plays.  It  would  have  been  preferable, 
before  discussing  the  movement  plays,  to  explain  the  sixth 
gift  (the  cube  divided  into  twenty-seven  bricks,  three  of 
which  are  divided  lengthwise,  and  six  of  which  are  di- 
vided crosswise  into  square  prisms) ;  but  in  this  case  it 
would  have  been  necessary  to  postpone  too  indefinitely 
my  answer  to  the  appeals  which  flow  in  from  all  sides 
with  reference  to  the  kindergarten  games.  To  these 
games  I  shall  now  exclusively  confine  myself. 

For  the  nurture  and  development  of  childhood  it 
is  by  no  means  sufficient  to  respond  through  play 
material  to  the  external  manifestations  of  unfolding 
power.  We  must  spy  out  the  inner  process  and  meth- 
od of  development  and  meet  the  needs  indicated 
thereby. 

All  outer  activity  of  the  child  has  its  final  ground  in 
his  inmost  nature  and  life.  The  deepest  craving  of  this 
inner  life,  this  inner  activity,  is  to  behold  itself  mirrored 
in  some  external  object.  In  and  through  such  reflection 
the  child  learns  to  know  his  own  activity,  its  essence, 
direction,  and  aim,  and  learns  also  to  order  and  deter- 
mine his  activity  in  correspondence  with  the  outward 
phenomena.  Such  mirroring  of  the  inner  life,  such 
making  of  the  inner  life  objective,  is  essential,  for 
through  it  the  child  comes  to  self-consciousness,  and 
learns  to  order,  determine,  and  master  himself.  The 
child  must  perceive  and  grasp  his  own  life  in  an  ob- 
jective manifestation  before  he  can  perceive  and  grasp  it 
in  himself.  This  law  of  development,  prescribed  by  Na- 
ture and  by  the  essential  character  of  the  child,  must 
always  be  respected  and  obeyed  by  the  true  educator. 
Its  recognition  is  the  aim  of  my  gifts  and  games  appre- 
hended relatively  to  the  educator. 


MOVEMENT  PLAYS.  239 

The  external  phenomena  in  the  active  life  of  the  child 
must  not  be  considered  externally  and  isolatedly  by  the 
educator.  They  must  always  be  studied  in  their  relation 
to  the  inner  life,  either  as  proceeding  from  it  or  in  their 
recoil  upon  it.  The  children  themselves  will  be  our  guides 
and  teachers  in  this  twofold  consideration.  The  smallest 
child  moves  joyfully,  springs  gayly,  hops  up  and  down, 
or  beats  with  his  arms  when  he  sees  a  moving  object. 
This  is  certainly  not  merely  delight  in  the  movement  of 
the  object  before  him,  but  it  is  the  working  of  the  inner 
activity  wakened  in  him  by  the  sight  of  outer  activity. 
Through  such  vision  the  inner  life  has  been  freed.  Fur- 
thermore, observation  even  of  very  small  children  shows 
that  they  do  not  rest  contented  in  the  moving  object,  but 
seek  to  find  out  whence  the  movement  proceeds.  Similar, 
should  be  the  procedure  of  the  educator  with  reference  to 
objects  in  movement  (movement  perhaps  called  forth  by 
the  child's  own  activity).  In  the  nurture,  development, 
and  education  of  the  child,  and  especially  in  the  effort  to 
capacitate  him  for  action,  his  own  nature,  life,  energy, 
must  be  the  main  consideration.  The  knowledge  of  iso- 
lated and  external  phenomena  may  occasionally  be  a  guide- 
post  pointing  our  direction,  but  it  can  never  be  a  path 
leading  to  the  specific  aim  of  child  culture  and  education ; 
for  the  condition  of  child  education  is  none  other  than 
comprehension  of  the  whole  nature  and  essence  of  hu- 
manity as  manifested  in  the  child,  and  the  most  com- 
plete possible  realization  and  representation  of  the  same, 
from  the  first  appearance  of  the  man  as  child  and  through- 
out the  whole  course  of  life.  No  education  which  fails  to 
hold  this  aim  consciously  and  persistently  in  view  can, 
strictly  speaking,  claim  to  be  an  education  worthy  the 
nature  of  man.  ^ 


240         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

After  this  introductory  preface  we  consider  the  move- 
ment plays,  their  starting  point,  and  their  course  of  de- 
velopment. 

Staktinq   Point  an^d    Course  of  Development  of 
THE  Movement  Plays. 

The  child,  although  unconsciously,  strives  to  make  his 
inner  life  outwardly  objective,  and  thus  perceptible,  and 
so  to  become  conscious  of  it,  to  see  it  mirrored  in  the 
outward  phenomena.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  the  child 
tries  to  do  himself  whatever  he  sees  done. 

The  ball  may  now  be  set  in  motion,  either  by  the 
activity  of  the  child  or  that  of  the  mother. 

Let  it,  therefore, 

Its  power  to  prove, 

Stir  and  move, 

Go  and  come, 

Roll  and  run, 

Hop  and  spring, 

Turn  and  swing, 

Go  low,  then  high, 

In  circle  fly, 

Go  far,  come  nigh. 

From  one  place  to  another  then 

The  little  ball  can  roam  again. 

But  it  can  also  hide  itself. 

To  tease  the  little  one  ; 

Away  into  the  dark  can  go, 

Or  fly  toward  the  sun. 
All  this  the  little  child  can  learn. 
Can  gladly  in  the  ball  discern, 
And  learn  to  trust  his  strength  in  turn. 
What  rich,  what  active  life  and  thought 
The  ball  to  this  young  child  has  brought  1 
The  life  in  both  but  one  life  stays, 
Though  it  so  many  forms  displays. 


MOVEMENT  PLAYS.  241 

In  these  activities  of  the  ball,  which  in  reality  and 
practice  yield  more  variety  than  is  here  indicated,  the 
whole  of  the  movement  plays  are  contained  as  in  a  germ. 
The  manner  of  their  development  is  also  in  some  degree 
implied,  or  shown,  as  it  were,  in  a  rough  sketch. 

As  the  ball  stirs,  moves,  goes,  runs,  and  rolls,  the  child 
who  is  playing  with  it  begins  to  feel  the  desire  to  do  like- 
wise. Thus  the  little  game,  "  The  child  wants  to  go, 
too ! "  was  actually  born  of  the  incitement  of  the  ball- 
plays. 

Each  sure  and  independent  movement,  either  of  his 
whole  body  or  of  one  of  his  limbs,  gives  the  child  pleasure 
because  of  the  feeling  of  power  which  it  arouses  in  him. 
Even  simple  walking  produces  this  effect,  for  it  gives  the 
child  a  threefold  feeling,  a  threefold  consciousness :  First, 
the  consciousness  that  he  moves  himself ;  second,  that  he 
moves  himself  from  one  place  to  another;  third,  that 
through  this  movement  he  attains  or  reaches  something. 

If,  therefore,  we  desire  to  work  beneficently  upon  the 
future  activity  of  a  child,  if  we  wish  to  give  a  solid  foun- 
dation to  his  later  doing  and  creating,  we  must  carefully 
observe  and  foster  his  earliest  activities,  his  earliest  move- 
ments, his  first  walking. 

It  is  a  well-established  fact  that  his  first  walking  gives 
the  child  pleasure  as  an  expression  of  his  power.  To  this 
pleasure,  however,  are  soon  added  the  two  joy-bringing  per- 
ceptions of  thus  coming  to  something,  and  of  being  able 
to  attain  something.  These  several  perceptions  should  all 
be  fostered  at  the  same  time.  Care  should  be  taken  that 
the  child  use  his  whole  power  even  in  his  earliest  walk- 
ing. He  should  move  securely,  firmly,  and  in  an  orderly 
manner.  In  other  words,  he  should  get  his  limbs,  and 
indeed  his  whole  body,  into  his  own  power.     He  should 


242         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

learn  to  use  his  bodily  strength  and  the  activity  of  his 
limbs  for  definite  purposes.  The  careful  guidance  of  the 
child  in  these  respects  is  important  for  his  whole  future 
life,  and  undoubtedly  the  very  first  manifestations  of  the 
child  in  his  own  attempts  at  walking  point  to  the  three- 
fold consciousness  and  purpose  indicated.  Thus,  when 
holding  by  the  hand  or  finger  of  mother  or  nurse,  the 
child  makes  his  first  attempts  at  walking  he  frequently 
tries  to  go  to  some  particular  object  (often,  too,  he  will 
avoid  some  particular  object  in  order  not  to  be  impeded 
in  his  walking).  The  effort  to  reach  a  particular  object 
may  have  its  source  in  the  child's  desire  to  hold  himself 
firm  and  upright  by  means  of  it,  but  we  also  observe  that 
it  gives  him  pleasure  to  be  actually  near  the  object,  to 
touch  it^  to  feel  it,  to  grasp  it,  and  perhaps  also — T^hich  is 
a  new  phase  of  activity^o  be  able  to  move  it.  Hence  we 
see  that  the  child,  when  he  has  reached  the  desired  object, 
hops  up  and  down  before  it,  and  beats  on  it  with  his  little 
arms  and  hands,  in  order,  as  it  were,  to  assure  himself  of 
the  reality  of  the  object  and  to  notice  its  qualities. 

It  is  well,  while  the  child  is  making  these  experi- 
ments, to  name  the  object — e.  g..  There  is  the  chair,  the 
table,  the  bench,  the  flower,  the  sister,  etc. 

In  like  manner  it  is  well  to  name  the  parts  of  the 
object — e.  g. :  This  is,  or  here  is,  the  seat ;  here  is  the  leg ; 
here  is  the  corner ;  here  is  the  edge,  etc.  Its  properties 
may  also  be  named :  The  chair  is  hard  or  soft ;  the  seat 
is  smooth ;  the  corner  is  pointed ;  the  edge  is  sharp. 
The  object  of  giving  these  names  is  not  primarily  the 
development  of  the  child's  power  of  speech,  but  to  assist 
his  comprehension  of  t'he  object,  its  parts  and  its  proper- 
ties, by  defining  his  sense-impressions.  Through  a  rich 
store  of  such  experiences  the  capacity  for  speech  will  of 


MOVEMENT  PLAYS.  243 

necessity  be  developed.  Language  will,  in  accord  with 
the  nature  of  spirit,  break  forth  of  itself  through  the 
augmentation  of  spiritual  self-activity. 

In  order  to  help  the  child  to  this  store  of  rich  experi- 
ences it  is  weU,  from  the  time  that  he  begins  to  walk,  to 
accustom  him  to  raise  himself  to  his  feet  by  the  help  of 
different  objects,  and  also  to  incite  him  to  go  around  such 
objects.  Each  new  phenomenon  is  a  discovery  in  the 
child's  small  and  yet  rich  world — e.  g.,  one  may  go 
round  the  chair ;  one  may  stand  before  it,  behind  it, 
beside  it,  but  one  can  not  go  behind  the  bench  or  the 
wall. 

Proceeding  in  this  way,  the  nurture  of  the  child  ceases 
to  be  a  task  performed  thoughtlessly  and  tediously,  and 
becomes  a  duty  which  arouses  and  nourishes  the  spirit, 
and  satisfies  the  inner  nature.  When  these  truths  are 
understood,  the  noble  and  blessed  calling  of  a  true  nurse 
will  be  entered  upon  not  from  motives  of  cold  external 
obligation,  but  for  the  satisfaction  and  fulfilment  of  the 
craving  for  a  higher  degree  of  inward  life. 

The  smallest  child  who  begins  to  exercise  the  power 
of  walking  loves  to  go  from  place  to  place — i.  e.,  he  likes 
to  turn  about  and  to  change  the  relationships  in  which 
he  stands  to  different  objects,  and  in  which  they  stand  to 
him.  Through  these  changes  he  seeks  self-recognition 
and  self-comprehension,  as  well  as  recognition  of  the  dif- 
ferent objects  which  surround  him,  and  recognition  of  his 
environment  as  a  whole.  Each  little  walk  is  a  tour  of 
discovery ;  each  object  is  an  America — a  new  world,  which 
he  either  goes  around  to  see  if  it  be  an  island,  or  whose 
coast  he  follows  to  discover  if  it  be  a  continent. 

After  this  apparent  digression,  which  is,  however,  in 
reality  not  a  digression  but  ^  penetration  into  the  heart 


244         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

of  our  subject,  let  us  return  to  our  movement  plays,  and 
especially  to  our  first  movement  play,  "  The  child  wants 
to  go  on  a  journey  "  ;  recognizing  therein  the  point  of  de- 
parture for  a  new  and  distinctive  series  of  games — viz. : 

A.  The  Travelling  or  Journeyikg  Plays. 

The  significance,  spirit,  and  aim  of  these  plays  we 
have  already  recognized.  They  are  plays  whose  object  is 
to  exercise  and  develop  the  child's  power  of  independent 
movement.  They  are  journeys  of  discovery.  They  are 
plays  which  enrich  the  child  with  perceptions  and  expe- 
riences. 

1.  The  Child  wants  to  travel^  or  go  about. 

For  this  play  the  children  stand  in  a  circle ;  the  ball 
has  just  moved  from  one  child  to  another,  and  has  thus 
called  forth  the  desire  for  locomotion  in  the  child.  I 
might  say  that  one  can  feel  this  in  the  children,  even  in 
one  particular  child.  Remarking  this,  let  the  wandering 
of  the  ball  cease,  and,  while  drawing  the  child  by  the  hand 
into  the  middle  of  the  circle,  express  the  observation  just 
made,  "  Lina  [or  Adolph,  for  example]  wishes  also  to 
walk  about." 

Or  if  the  kindergartner  perceives  that  the  wandering 
of  the  ball  no  longer  enchains  the  attention  of  the  chil- 
dren, let  her  awaken  the  slumbering  inclination  of  the 
children  by  the  question,  "  Will  not  one  of  you  also  walk 
about?"  We  have  never  yet  asked  this  question  that 
several  children  have  not  at  the  same  time  stepped  forth 
and  called  out,  "  I,"  "  I,"  "  I." 

The  leader  now  sings  to  the  play-circle : 

Our  Lina  [Adolph]  likes  to  walk 
From  one  place  [child]  to  another. 


MOVEMENT  PLAYS.  245 

Or  from  the  heart  and  lips  of  the  child  itself  come  the 

words : 

I,  too,  would  like  to  walk,  etc. 

While  the  child  who  desires  to  walk  steps  up  to  any 
one  in  the  circle,  reaches  his  hand  to  that  one  and  moves 
relatively  to  himself  from  the  right  to  the  left,  but  rela- 
tively to  the  circle  of  children  from  the  left  to  the  right 
hand ;  the  children  sing : 

Our  Lina  [Adolph]  you  see  will  walk 
From  one  place  [child]  to  another. 

As  the  walking  child  holds  out  the  right  hand,  each 
child  in  the  circle  responds  by  extending  the  right  hand 
toward  him. 

Smaller  children  can,  at  the  first,  be  permitted  to  go 
round  merely  with  this  silent  offering  of  the  hand  ;  but 
the  next  time,  or  even  at  once  with  larger  children,  the 
greeting  may  be  added  : 

And  wish  you  a  good  day,  good  day, 
Good  day,  good  day,  good  day. 

Or  the  song  proceeds  from  the  children  in  the  circle : 

And  wish  us  a  good  day,  good  day,  etc. 

The  walking  child,  moving  on,  reaches  his  right  hand 
to  another  child,  and  says  "  Good  day  "  at  the  same  time. 
The  greeted  child  in  the  circle  does  the  same. 

The  children  play  this  game  very  willingly.  When 
one  child  has  ended  his  walking,  several  more  always  step 
forward  who  wish  to  "  walk "  in  the  same  way.  It  is, 
of  course,  understood  that  the  leader  must  see  that  all  the 
children  have  walked  at  the  close  of  the  play. 

An  extension  of  this  play  may  be  added  at  the  close 
of  the  walking  of  each  child,  by  asking  the  child,  who 
has  again  placed  himself  in  ^le  middle : 


246         PEDAGOGICS  OP  THE  KINDERGARTEN.        ^^M 

"  Whom  have  you  then  learned  to  know  on  year 
journey  ?  " 

As  an  answer  to  this,  the  child  must  mention  the 
names  of  the  children  standing  in  the  circle.  This  brings 
about  a  double  exercise :  it  teaches  him  not  to  pass  by 
objects  without  observing  them,  and  also  helps  him  to 
form  a  definite  conception  of  the  name  of  the  object  and 
its  qualities,  or  at  least  its  general  impression.  A  third 
exercise  may  be  added  to  this,  viz.,  older  children  may  be 
required  to  name  their  companions  in  the  exact  order  in 
which  they  were  greeted.  This  is  a  very  beneficial  exer- 
cise, as  it  links  memory  and  perception;  it  also  exercises 
the  power  of  grasping  objects  in  a  series  and  of  holding 
in  mind  their  arrangement  and  sequence. 

Very  young  children  may  be  permitted  at  first  to  point 
with  one  finger  to  each  child  as  he  is  named  (the  name 
"  pointing "  finger  receives  thus  its  true  significance). 
Older  children  should  merely  follow  with  their  eyes  the 
order  of  the  children  standing  on  the  circle.  The  still 
more  developed  child  should  be  able  to  name  the  children 
standing  on  the  circle  in  proper  order,  even  when  his  back 
is  turned  toward  them.  Finally,  when  the  child  has  gained 
a  degree  of  intellectual  power,  he  should  be  asked  to  close 
his  eyes  and  name  his  comrades  on  the  circle  in  their  proper 
order,  and,  if  he  has  an  unusually  vigorous  and  active 
mind,  he  may  even  mention  their  names  in  reverse  order. 

These  hints  are  sufficient  to  show  that  the  walking 
game  admits  of  a  progressive  development  running  paral- 
lel with  the  development  of  the  child's  intellectual  power. 
It  admits  also  of  a  progressive  external  development,  for, 
as  the  child  gains  power  of  walking  longer,  the  children  on 
the  circle  can  step  farther  apart  and  thus  increase  its  size. 

Instead  of  arranging  themselves  in  a  circle,  the  chil- 


MOVEMENT  PLAYS.  247 

dren  may  form  a  square  or  rectangle,  if  the  shape  of  the 
playroom  permits. 

I  purposely  recur  to  the  possibility  of  development 
which  lies  in  the  simplest  of  the  plays  suggested  by  me ; 
for  through  this  capacity  for  development  they  meet  the 
requirement  insisted  upon,  that  each  new  and  separate 
play  should  develop  from  those  already  given.  This  qual- 
ity of  continuous  evolution  in  correspondence  with  the 
unfolding  of  the  child  gives  a  quite  peculiar  value  to  my 
plays  and  my  method  of  playing. 

Following  the  genetic  idea  of  the  walking  game,  our 
next  development  and  extension  of  the  play  must  be  the 
walking  of  all  the  children  at  once.  This  development 
came  of  itself  in  the  playroom,  unfolding  naturally  from 
the  children  and  the  game. 

It  is  natural  (i.  e.,  it  lies  wholly  in  the  nature  of  the 
object  and  in  the  nature  of  the  child)  that  the  wandering 
of  the  individual  should  awaken  the  impulse  of  wandering 
in  all,  and  should  inspire  the  desire  of  wandering  together. 
Thus,  in  actual  experience,  the  general  wandering  or  trav- 
eling game  arose  as  a  spontaneous  and  yet  necessary  de- 
velopment, just  as  leaves  and  blossoms  develop  from  the 
bud.     Let  us  now  describe — 

2.  The  General  Traveling  Game. 

The  children  are  standing  side  by  side  on  the  circle. 
The  magical  question  of  the  leader,  "  Would  you  all  like 
to  go  on  a  journey  ?  "  raises  into  consciousness,  or  at  least 
into  articulate  feeling,  the  wish  that  slumbers  in  each 
heart,  and  the  children  arrange  themselves  easily  by  twos 
in  a  line.  The  leader  gives  expression  to  the  wish  stirring 
in  all,  in  the  form  of  a  song,  the  words  of  which  she  re- 
peats while  walking  around  the  room.     The  words  are 


248         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

learned  with  unconscious  quickness  by  the  children,  be- 
cause expressive  of  their  own  life.  When  learned,  leader 
and  children  sing  in  concert : 

We  all  like  well  to  walk  about 

From  one  place  to  another ; 

This  walking  suits  us  well  to-day, 

For  all  things  in  the  world  look  gay. 

Walking,  walking,  walking. 

I  have  described  the  blossoming  of  this  play  out  of 
the  life  of  the  children  just  as  it  actually  occurred.  Im- 
agine the  line  of  wandering  children  moving  repeatedly 
around  the  playroom,  and  occasionally  making  a  change 
by  marching  on  its  diagonal.  The  words  "  All  things  in 
the  world  look  gay  "  wakens  the  wish  to  see  the  gay  and 
beautiful  world,  and  on  the  first  spring  day  the  shining 
sun  beckons  through  the  window,  and  the  clear  blue  sky 
is  seen  through  it,  the  doors  open  as  if  of  themselves,  they 
open  repeatedly,  and  the  gay  garland  of  child-flowers  goes 
through  them  into  the  open  air,  singing  first  with  in- 
creased zest  the  already  given  words,  then  giving  words 
to  the  new  observations  and  perceptions  for  which  God's 
free  world  offers  occasion  : 

We  hear  the  birdies  singing, 

We  hear  their  glad  songs  ringing ; 

We  see  the  fruit  trees  blow ; 
We  hear  the  small  bees  humming ; 
We  hear  the  beetle  [chafer]  drumming ; 

The  clouds  above  us  go — 
Let  us  too  be  going. 

To  pasture  flocks  are  going ; 
The  meadows  green  are  growing ; 
And  all  things  joy  are  showing ; 
So  let  us  too  be  going !  * 

*  The  preceding  song  was  composed  as  it  proceeded  from  life. 
H.  Langethal,  to  whom  the  words  were  afterward  communicated, 


I 


MOVEMENT  PLaYS.  249 

Not  merely  for  a  change,  but  in  order  to  guide  the 
child  yet  more  to  the  notice  of  surrounding  things,  to  the 
perception   of  the  increased  feeling   of  life   in   his  own 

took  up  the  song,  for  the  easier  singing  and  comprehension  of 
the  children  in  regular  stanzas,  with  a  concluding  extension  as 
follows : 

We  all  like  well  to  wander 

From  one  place  to  another ; 

This  wandering  suits  us  well  to-day, 

For  all  things  in  the  world  look  gay. 
Wander,  yes,  wander ! 

We  see  the  trees  now  blowing, 
White  clouds  above  us  going ; 
We  hear  the  birdies  singing. 
We  hear  their  glad  song  ringing. 
Wander,  yes,  wander ! 

See  flocks  to  pasture  going ! 
The  meadows  green  are  growing, 
We  hear  the  beetles  drumming. 
Bees  busily  are  humming. 
Wander,  yes,  wander ! 

The  children  now  hear  daily 
The  brooklets  rushing  gayly ; 
Where'er  our  footsteps  lead  us, 
There  Nature's  beauties  feed  us. 
Wander,  yes,  wander ! 

[Note  by  the  Editor. — The  German  word  wandem  means,  to 
stroll,  to  ramble,  to  take  a  walk,  to  go  on  a  journey,  to  travel,  and 
also  simply  to  move  or  change  place,  or  to  go.  The  English  word 
wander  has  in  it  a  sense  of  aimlessness,  or  else  that  of  vain  and  in- 
effectual seeking  for  some  object  or  goal.  This  makes  it  necessary 
to  translate  the  word  wandem  in  Froebel's  remarks  about  the  trav- 
eling or  journeying  games  sometimes  by  one  and  sometimes  by  an- 
other equivalent,  but  very  rarely  by^ur  word  wander.^ 


n 


250         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 


breast,  and  for  the  fostering  of  human  childlike  feeling, 
the  following  words  may  also  be  sung  : 

Journeying,  traveling,  ij 

Gives  us  joy  too  great  to  tell ; 

Makes  our  breasts  with  pleasure  swell. 

Merry  we,  and  safe  from  harm, 
With  our  dear  ones  arm  in  arm. 

Many  good  things  now  we  know, 
Pretty  things  we've  named  also  ; 
Now  a  resting  place  choose  well ; 
We  of  all  these  things  will  tell. 

According  to  the  words  of  the  song,  when  the  place  of 
rest  is  reached  questions  are  asked  concerning  what  each 
of  the  children  has  particularly  remarked  and  retained  in 
its  memory,  and  praise  is  awarded  to  most  acute  obser- 
vation. 

But  these  walkings  or  journeys  can  also  take  place 
as — 

3.  Walking  plays  with  a  great  number  of  children  in 
a  relatively  small  space,  as  was  shown  by  Principal  Jeckel 
in  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  suggested  by  our  smaller  walk- 
ing play ;  where  they  performed  a  walking  play  in  which 
several  hundred  children  joined  by  fours,  with  a  suitable 
gay  song,  in  a  spacious  school  garden. 

Our  children  in  Blankenburg  play  this  game  in  their 
large  playroom  as  well  as  in  the  open  air,  with  great 
willingness  and  delight.  I  think,  therefore,  always  with 
gratitude  of  the  one  who  made  us  acquainted  with  it,  and 
especially  who  presented  us  with  the  suitable  song. 

But  walking  and  journeyings  are  very  often  connect- 
ed with  visiting ;  visiting,  again,  is  connected  with  social 
calls ;  this  has  given  rise  in  our  circle  to 


MOVEMENT  PLAYS.  251 

4.    Visiting  Play^  or  Going  to  Make  Calls^ 

which,  as  will  readily  be  perceived,  is  a  progressive  de- 
velopment from  the  walking,  and  embodies  the  same 
spirit. 

The  children  stand  opposite  to  each  other,  and  accord- 
ing to  their  number  are  arranged  either  against  two  or 
four  of  the  walls  of  the  playroom. 

Two  of  the  rows,  which  thus  stand  opposite  to  one 
another,  now  sing : 

Those  whom  opposite  we  see 
Come  to  visit  you  and  me  : 

and  while  they  sing  they  approach  each  other,  so  that  at 
the  end  of  the  rhyme  they  meet  in  the  middle  of  the 
room. 

One  of  the  two  rows,  now  standing  closely  opposite  to 
one  another,  sings,  while  bowing  to  the  other : 

We  greet  you  all — we  greet  you  all. 

The  second  row  answers :  * 

We  thank  you  all — we  thank  you  all. 

The  two  rows  now  unite  to  form  a  double  line,  and, 
turning  toward  the  play-leader,  sing : 

Come,  let  us  all  go  walking ;  we 
So  many  pretty  things  will  see ; 
In  our  stories  we  will  tell 
What  we  see  and  love  so  well. 

While  the  song  is  sung  the  column  of  children  moves 
toward  one  corner  of  the  room,  bends  there  and  moves 
along  the  side  of  the  wall  until  opposite  a  second  corner, 
then  turning,  walks  first  toward  the  middle  of  the  room 
and  next  to  the  third  corner.  When  this  corner  is 
reached  the  column  bends  again  and  moves  along  the 
19  \ 


252         PEDAGOGICS  OP  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 


1 


second  wall  until  the  fourth  corner  is  reached,  from 
which  point  it  diverges  again  toward  the  middle  of  the 
room.  Here  the  children  remain  standing  in  their  origi- 
nal order  after  having  formed  in  their  journey  a  figure 
eight  in  a  horizontal  position  (oo  ). 

The  leader  (or  whoever  else  may  wish  to  do  so)  now 
goes  to  each  child  and  asks  what  he  has  seen  in  his 
journeys.  The  children  may  describe  either  what  they 
have  actually  seen,  or  something  they  "  make-believe " 
to  have  seen. 

The  questioner  connects  the  different  objects  named 
by  means  of  an  impromptu  story  in  which  all  bear 
some  part.  This  story  should  both  give  the  child  pleas- 
ure and  convey  some  helpful  conception  of  Nature  or 
human  life. 

Whenever  the  story-teller  mentions  an  object  which 
one  of  the  children  has  seen,  or  made  believe  to  see,  dur- 
ing the  walking  in  room  or  garden,  this  child  must  raise 
his  hand  partly  as  a  sign  that  he  is  giving  his  attention 
to  the  story,  and  partly  that  the  story-teller  may  be  sure 
not  to  omit  the  mention  of  any  object. 

At  the  close  of  the  story  the  travelers  sing  to  the 
story-teller  : 

For  your  story  now  we  pay 
Hearty  thanks  to  you  to-day. 

While  the  children  sing,  the  double  column  separates 
into  two  lines  which  face  each  other.  Each  line  then 
moves  backward  to  its  original  place,  singing  : 

We  now  go  back  and  take  our  place  ; 
Please  turn  to  us  again  each  face. 

If  there  are  four  lines,  or,  rather,  two  double  columns 
of  children,  the  second  column  now  begins  the  play.     If, 


MOVEMENT  PLAYS.  253 

as  has  generally  been  the  case  in  my  experience,  the  chil- 
dren enjoy  the  play  and  wish  to  repeat  it,  they  should  be 
permitted  to  do  so. 

The  sources  of  the  children's  delight  in  this  game  are 
manifold.  The  song  itself  is  pretty;  the  children  love 
to  greet  each  other ;  finally,  there  is  a  fascination  in  the 
winding  movement,  with  its  varied  suggestion  of  the  re- 
lationship between  center  and  circumference.  For  the 
same  reason,  perhaps — 

5.  The  Winding  Brook 

was  one  of  the  first  movement  and  traveling  games  de- 
veloped by  our  circle  of  children,  with  whom,  moreover, 
it  was  always  a  prime  favorite. 

The  children  stand  side  by  side  in  a  large  circle.  They 
hold  each  other's  hands.  The  leader  breaks  the  circle  at 
a  point  near  one  corner  of  the  room,  and  by  a  series  of 
winding  movements  parallel  to  the  shorter  sides  of  the 
room  leads  the  children  first  toward  the  inside  of  the  cir- 
cle and  then  outward  toward  the  wall  opposite.  As  the 
first  child  follows  the  leader,  so  each  successive  child  fol- 
lows his  neighbor.  When  the  winding  line  has  thus 
reached  the  opposite  narrower  side,  it  turns,  going  along 
one  of  the  long  sides  back  to  the  starting  point,  and  this 
is  repeated  as  often  as  the  duration  of  the  song  requires. 
To  this  the  following  song  is  sung,  partly  by  full  chorus, 
partly  more  softly  by  a  single  voice : 

Chorus :  Side  by  side  now,  fast  or  slow, 

Winding  like  a  brook  we  go. 
Single  :    By  the  brook  the  flowers  blow, 

Gayly  past  them  we  all  go. 
Chorus :  Side  by  side  now,  fast  or  slow,  etc. 
Single :    In  the  watery  mirror  see, 

Clearly  showing  hill  and  tree. 


254:         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

Chorus :  Side  by  side  now,  fast  or  slow,  etc. 
Single :    Mirrored  in  our  hearts,  too,  shows 

Love  that  toward  us  ever  goes. 
Chorus :  Side  by  side  now,  fast  or  slow,  etc. 
Single :    Filled  with  thanks  and  great  delight 

Are  our  hearts ;  our  eyes  are  bright. 
Chorus :  Side  by  side  now,  fast  or  slow,  etc. 
Single :    Oh,  how  happy  are  we  all 

Here  together,  large  and  small ! 
Chorus :  Side  by  side  now,  fast  or  slow,  etc. 
Single :    Now  we  turn  in  circle  gay, 

a.  Singing  in  our  childish  way, 

b.  Singing  in  another  way. 

As  the  final  chorus  is  begun,  the  play-leader  tries  to 
lead  the  merry  band  of  children  so  that  with  the  begin- 
ning of  the  last  stanza,  "  Now  we  turn  in  circle  gay,"  all 
the  children  move  in  a  well-arranged  large  circle.  The 
conclusion  "  a  "  is  sung  when  the  play  is  here  ended ;  the 
conclusion  "  ^,"  on  the  contrary,  when  a  new  play  is  con- 
nected with  it. 

This  brook  play  forms  the  transition  from  the  pure 
journeying  plays  to  those  which  through  form  or  move- 
ment represent  some  object;  hence  to  the  branch  of 
movement  plays  called — 

B.   Eepresentation  Plays. 

One  of  the  favorite  plays  which  very  early  budded  and 
developed  in  our  play-circle  is — 

1.  The  Snail 

The  children  stand,  side  by  side  and  hand  in  hand  as 
before,  in  a  large  circle ;  they  also  like  very  much  to  play 
this  as  a  continuation  of  the  brook,  in  which  case  the 
strophe  "  b  "  is  sung  at  the  end  of  the  latter. 

The  play-leader  now  takes  the  hand  of  one  child  in 


MOVEMENT  PLAYS.  255 

the  circle  at  any  point  he  thinks  best,  breaks  the  circle, 
and  leads  this  child,  whom  the  rest  easily  follow,  firmly 
clasping  each  other's  hands,  always  round  the  inner  side 
of  the  circle  till  he  has  formed  in  his  course  a  snail  line, 
or  rather  a  spiral  line,  and  stands  in  the  middl^  with  all 
the  children  wound  round  him.  Then,  turning  backward 
himself,  and  going  first  of  all  between  his  own  and  the 
next  line  of  children,  he  tries  to  unwind  from  the  inside, 
which  is  also  easily  done  if,  firstly,  the  children  hold  firmly 
together,  and,  secondly,  if  the  snail  line  is  not  too  closely 
wound.     To  this  the  children  sing  : 

THE  SNAIL  SONG. 

Hand  in  hand,  as  all  can  see, 
Like  a  little  snail  go  we ; 

Always  nearer,  always  nearer; 

Always  closer,  always  closer ; 

Always  tighter,  always  tighter — 
Till  in  closest  union  stand 
All  we  children,  hand  in  hand. 

At  these  words  the  play-leader  should  stand  exactly 
in  the  middle  of  the  circle.  If  the  circle  of  children  is 
large,  the  lines  "  Always  tighter,  always  tighter  "  must  be 
repeated  until  the  winding  is  complete  and  the  central 
point  attained. 

When  the  play-leader  has  come  into  the  middle  of  the 
circle,  he  turns  immediately  as  above  described,  and  the 
following  words  are  sung  : 

Hand  in  hand,  as  all  can  see. 
Like  a  little  snail  go  we ; 

Always  farther,  always  farther; 

Always  wider,  always  wider ; 

Always  looser,  always  looser — 
From  the  smallest  point  we  go. 
Till  the  large  ring  we  can  show. 


256         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

With  these  words  all  the  children  should  again  be 
standing  in  a  closed  circle,  and  the  following  lines  may 
then  be  sung  : 

Gayly  we  each  other  greet, 
Thus  our  play  we  now  complete. 

The  snail  game  frequently  and  fittingly  forms  the 
conclusion  of  the  circle  plays.  It  is  well  adapted  to  this 
purpose,  since  it  unites  all  the  children  in  one  whole  of 
living  activity,  and  finally  yields  the  form  of  the  circle, 
which  is  symbolic  of  wholeness. 

As  an  evolution  from  the  actual  play  of  the  children 
this  game  had  its  point  of  departure  in  the  swinging  of 
the  ball  attached  to  a  string  around  the  forefinger  in  such 
a  way  that  the  ball  moves  in  a  snail  line,  and,  gradually 
approaching  the  finger,  finally  rests  against  it.  It  is  then 
unwound  by  a  reverse  movement  from  the  finger,  and 
finally  by  its  own  recoiling  activity  wound  again  around 
it.  In  Nature  the  child  sees  the  form  ot  these  winding 
lines  on  the  snail  shells  he  so  dearly  loves.  These  visible 
lines  interpret  the  words  of  the  song,  "Always  nearer? 
always  closer,"  also  the  "Always  farther,  always  wider," 
and  help  the  child  in  feeling  to  connect  movement  and 
form. 

Enough  has  been  said  to  show  plainly  the  spirit  and 
aim  of  these  plays.  Their  object  is  to  lead  the  child  to 
observation  and  apprehension  of  the  life  that  surrounds 
him.  I  suggest,  in  addition,  a  few  representative  move- 
ment plays  which  in  experience  proceeded  freely  from  the 
inmost  life  and  needs  (if  I  may  so  express  myself)  of  very 
little  children.  Who  has  not  noticed  how  children  love 
to  turn  themselves  around  a  smooth  tree  or  pole  while 
clasping  it  with  one  hand  or  clinging  to  it  with  one  arm  ? 
From  this  practice  was  developed  the  following  play.    On 


MOVEMENT  PLAYS.  257 

account  of  the  size  of  our  playroom,  a  slender  column 
stands  in  the  middle  to  support  the  ceiling.  This  column 
exercised  a  magnetic  attraction  upon  the  children.  One 
after  another  would  rush  to  it,  embrace  it  with  his  little 
arms,  and  swing  himself  around  it  with  shouts  of  pleasure. 
As  this  merry  play  soon  attracted  all  the  children,  it  be- 
came necessary  to  introduce  a  certain  order  into  it,  and  so 
resulted  the  following — 

2.  Mill  Play. 

Six  or  eight  children  place  their  right  hands  on  the 
smooth  column  and  try  to  hold  fast  by  it.  This  feat  is 
easily  accomplished  in  spite  of  the  small  size  of  their 
hands.  The  left  hand  of  each  of  these  children  is  grasped 
by  a  second  child,  and  the  left  hands  of  this  second  ro\^ 
of  children  by  a  third  row,  and  so  on,  according  to  the 
number  of  the  children  and  the  size  of  the  room.  In  this 
manner,  proceeding  from  the  column  as  center,  are  formed 
six  or  eight  lines,  each  consisting  of  three  or  four  children. 
The  whole  gives  the  effect  of  rays,  or  looks  like  the  spokes 
of  a  wheel.  The  children  should  be  so  grouped  that  the 
members  of  each  concentric  circle  are  of  equal  strength 
and  size.  The  smallest  children  should  be  placed  either 
in  the  first  or  the  last  row,  in  order  that  the  length  of 
stride  and  quickness  of  movement  may  be  proportioned 
to  their  strength.  If  the  smallest  children  stand  in  the 
outermost  circle,  and  if  besides  the  leader  there  are  pres- 
ent several  grown  persons,  each  of  these  takes  the  hand  of 
one  of  the  weaker  and  more  delicate  children,  and  thus 
determines  the  speed  of  movement,  which  in  the  begin- 
ning must  of  course  be  very  slow.  Even  the  smallest 
children,  however,  show  great  agility  in  this  play ;  hence 
the  speed  is  soon  accelerated^  The  leader  and  other  adults 


258         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

must,  however,  watch  the  children  individually  and  col- 
lectively, and  must  see  to  it  that  the  movement  is  uniform, 
and  that  the  order  of  the  children  is  not  disturbed. 

As  the  children  move  around  the  column,  the  follow- 
ing lines  are  sung : 

The  old  mill  wheel  is  never  still 

If  strongly  the  clear  water  flows ; 
And  our  mill  wheel  turn§  with  a  will 

The  way  that  our  own  pleasure  shows. 

In  this  song  the  whole  figure  produced  by  the  children 
is  represented  as  the  wheel  of  a  water  mill,  and  the  child 
is  led  to  the  perception  of  the  moving  power  in  himself 
and  in  the  water,  and  to  a  comparison  of  these  power? — 
i»e.,  of  the  desire  which  impels  his  own  activity,  and  ^-he 
force  of  the  water  which  turns  the  mill  wheel. 

In  Mr.  Hochstadter's  kindergarten,  at  Frankfort-pn- 
the-Main,  the  whole  was  looked  on  as  the  wings  of  a  wind- 
mill, and  the  first  four  verses  of  the  following  song  were 
adapted  to  it,  to  which  the  four  lines  here  following  we»e 

added : 

See  the  windmill  how  it  goes ! 
As  the  wind  so  strongly  blows, 
Always  round  it  turns ;  it  will 
Never  idly  stand  quite  still. 
Our  strong  wind  is  our  own  fun, 
So  we  swiftly,  swiftly  run. 
Quickly  thus  the  time  goes  by ; 
Oh,  how  happy  now  am  I ! 

Our  children  like  very  much  to  sing  this  song  also  on 
account  of  its  appropriateness.  The  comparison  of  the 
power  of  Nature  and  of  the  mind,  and  the  interpretation 
of  the  one  by  the  other,  go  through  this  play  also. 

In  this  same  kindergarten  at  Frankfort  the  following 


I 


MOVEMENT  PLAYS.  259 

verses  were  afterward   added,  from  the  children's  percep- 
tions of  life : 

Quickly  sails  the  ship  along, 

Driven  by  the  winds  so  strong. 

If  a  stormy  wind  should  blow, 

Then  aground  the  ship  might  go. 

This  closing  of  the  play  is  also  appropriate,  because  it 
leads  the  child's  attention  to  the  disturbing  effect  of  a 
too  vigorous  movement  in  this  play. 

This  game  may  also  be  played  in  a  room  without  a 
pillar,  and  also  in  the  open  air.  The  play-leader  fastens 
around  his  waist  a  piece  of  cloth  or  strong  string,  twisted 
several  times,  which  is  grasped  by  the  children  standing 
nearest,  and  they  then  turn  at  the  same  time  with  him. 
In  the  open  air  this  play  is  particularly  beautiful,  if  a 
smooth-barked,  full-crowned  tree  is  found  for  it. 

When  the  movement  has  been  executed  once  to  the 
right,  it  is  also  carried  out  by  turning  to  the  left.  (For 
a  change,  and  in  consideration  of  the  small  children, 
the  short  triple  step  may  be  taken  instead  of  the  longer 
stride.) 

This  representative  play  proceeded  from  girl-life.  As 
a  complement  to  it  I  give  another,  which  owed  its  existence 
to  boy-life ;  this  is — 

3.  The  Wheel 

Four,  five,  or  six  children,  with  their  faces  turned 
toward  the  middle  of  the  circle,  take  each  other's  hands. 
At  the  place  where  two  of  the  children,  thus  standing  in 
a  circle,  have  joined  hands,  another  steps  up  from  the 
other  side,  who  grasps  their  joined  hands  with  one  of  his 
and  stretches  the  other  outward  like  a  ray.  A  second 
child  in  like  manner  grasps  thejiand  of  this  child,  so  that 


260         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

in  this  way  a  four,  five,  or  six  rayed  star  results.  Each 
two  of  these  rays  are  now  again  connected  in  a  tangential 
direction  by  two  children  who  have  taken  hands,  so  that 
in  this  way  a  larger  circle  results,  like  the  first  and  parallel 
with  it.  If  there  are  many  children,  this  can  be  repeated 
as  often  as  the  number  of  the  children  permits.  When 
the  wheel  is  thus  inclosed,  the  movement  begins  toward 
the  side  to  which  the  faces  of  the  children  forming  the 
rays  or  spokes  are  turned.     To  this  is  sung ; 

See  here  a  wheel  we  make, 

Which  turns  itself  around ; 
The  spokes  must  all  be  straight, 

And  by  the  felloes  bound. 

Principal  Jeckel  calls  this  play  a  star  game,  and  has 
carried  it  out  with  a  very  large  number  of  children  in 
the  spacious  garden  belonging  to  his  school. 

It  is  very  evident,  as  has  already  been  mentioned,  that 
through  these  plays,  and  the  free  and  joyous  self-expres- 
sion which  they  involve,  the  child  is  led  to  observe  both 
surrounding  objects  and  the  phenomena  of  his  own  life  ; 
that  through  such  observation  he  is  further  led  to  com- 
parison and  recognition  of  the  two  orders  of  phenome- 
na, and,  finally,  to  healthful  and  salutary  judgments 
and  inferences.  The  pleasure  with  which  the  children 
play  these  games,  and  others  of  a  similar  kind,  may  there- 
fore have  its  ground  in  a  presentiment  of  what  is  sym- 
bolic and  significant  in  them.  May  not  their  delight  in 
these  encircling  movements,  for  example,  spring  from  the 
longing  and  the  eifort  to  get  an  all-round  or  all-sided 
grasp  of  an  object  ? 

Through  many  considerations,  and  as  the  result  of 
many  and  various  experiences,  I  am  convinced  that  the 
exalted  and  often  ecstatic  delight  of  children  in  their 


MOVEMENT  PLAYS.  261 

simple  movement  plays  is  by  no  means  to  be  explained 
through  the  exertion  of  mere  physical  force — mere  bodily 
activity.  The  true  source  of  their  joy  is  the  dim  premo- 
nition which  stirs  their  sensitive  hearts  (Gemiifhe)  that 
in  their  play  there  is  hidden  a  deep  significance ;  that  it  is, 
in  fact,  the  husk  within  which  is  concealed  the  kernel  of 
living  spiritual  truth. 

Hence  it  is  that  we  can  not  too  strongly  insist  upon 
the  thoughtful  observation  of  children's  plays — upon  their 
nurture  and  development,  and  upon  their  purification 
from  all  that  obscures  or  is  foreign  to  their  ideal  content. 
Through  the  exclusion  of  foreign  elements  the  immanent 
ideal  of  the  play — which  is  what  really  stirs  the  soul  of 
the  susceptible  child — will  become  more  powerful  in  its 
influence.  I  am  convinced  that  in  this  way  we  may  not 
only  arouse  and  illuminate  the  ethical  feeling  of  the  child, 
but  also  strengthen  it  and  elevate  it  into  practical  activity ; 
and,  finally,  that  this  practical  moral  activity  will  recoil 
with  blessed  effect  upon  the  nurture  and  development  of 
religious  aspiration. 

In  the  presentation  of  these  plays  I  have  purposely 
followed  their  historic  genesis  and  evolution  in  our  own 
circle  of  children.  My  object  in  this  historic  presentation 
has  been  to  show  how,  through  holding  in  my  own  mind 
the  fundamental  idea  and  characteristic  essence  of  these 
plays,  I  have  been  enabled  to  follow  with  fostering  influ- 
ence the  absolutely  free  development  of  the  child,  and  to 
respond  to  the  indicated  needs  of  his  being.  Generalizing 
the  results  of  this  experience  it  becomes  apparent  that, 
through  an  education  which  is  rooted  and  grounded  in 
the  nature  of  man,  which  recognizes  in  that  nature  the 
one  true  point  of  departure  for  its  whole  procedure,  it  is 
possible  to  combine  a  fixed  adhesion  to  the  universal  with 


262         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN 

the  most  searching  and  careful  nurture  of  the  particulai 
and  individual. 

To  the  representative  circular  movement  plays  belong 


4.  The  Circle^  Star,  Flower  and  Crown  Play. 

The  children  form  a  large  circle.  The  leader  quietly 
arranges  it  so  that  the  more  advanced  children  are  dis- 
tributed in  the  four  quarters  of  this  circle.  These  quar- 
ters (of  the  circle)  are  then  pointed  out  by  the  leader, 
and  the  advanced  child  in  each  quarter  is  asked  to  watch 
over  the  development  of  the  play  in  his  or  her  quarter, 
and  to  preserve  order.  The  whole  circle  moves  round 
first  to  the  right,  afterwards  to  the  left,  singing  : 


Side  by  side  now,  fast  or  slow, 
In  a  large  round  ring  we  go  ; 
While  around  our  circle  going, 
Prom  our  lips  gay  songs  are  flowing. 
'Tis  as  pleasant,  we  soon  learn. 
In  the  smaller  rings  to  turn. 
And  to  sing  out  soft  and  gay — 
That  is  happy  children's  way. 


I 


At  the  conclusion  of  the  words  "  'Tis  as  pleasant,  we 
soon  learn,"  the  play-leader  claps  his  hands,  and  each  of 
the  four  quarters  of  the  circle  forms  immediately  a  smaller 
circle  of  its  own,  which  is  closed  at  the  words  "  In  the 
smaller  rings  to  turn  " ;  and  now  each  of  the  smaller  circles 
turns  round  to  the  right ;  at  the  repetition  of  the  verse 
"  'Tis  as  pleasant,  we  soon  learn,"  each  circle  turns  round 
to  the  left. 

Again  the  play-leader  claps  his  hands.  All  the  chil- 
dren in  each  circle  stretch  the  right  hand  into  the  middle 
of  the  circle,  reach  out  the  left  in  ray  form  toward  the 
outside,  turn  to  the  right,  and  sing  : 


MOVEMENT  PLAYS.  263 

Now  we  have  formed  a  star, 

Now  we  have  formed  a  star, 

Clear  shining,  though  so  far ; 

Our  parents  love  [father,  mother  loves]  the  star. 

Or,  generally, 

Who  does  not  love  the  star! 

The  play-leader  claps  again,  all  the  children  in  each 
circle  stretch  the  left  hand  into  the  middle  of  it,  and  the 
circle  now  moves  to  the  left,  singing  the  former  song. 

The  play-leader  claps  again,  each  of  the  children  in 
each  circle  lays  its  right  arm  over  the  left,  the  right  hand, 
turned  inward  above,  the  left  turned  inward  below,  so  that 
the  opposite  hand  may  be  easily  grasped  by  two  neighbor- 
ing children ;  when  this  is  done,  the  children  of  each  circle 
turn  round  to  the  right  and  sing  : 

Our  flower's  form  complete  must  be, 
As  those  we  in  the  garden  see, 
Which  with  their  glances  bright 
The  gardener  delight. 

Again  the  play-leader  claps,  the  children  lay  the  left 
hand  over  the  right  (the  left  turned  inward  above,  the 
right  below),  then  clasp  hands,  turn  round  to  the  left,  and 
sing  as  before.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  song  the  play- 
leader  claps  again,  the  children  drop  each  other's  hands 
and  raise  their  arms,  the  palm  of  the  hand  turned  out- 
ward. Each  two  neighboring  children  lay  their  opposite 
palms  firmly  against  one  another,  so  that  the  whole  forms 
a  crown  with  alternating  points.  The  children  turn  to 
the  right  and  sing  : 

Great  pains  we  now  are  taking, 

Crowns  for  our  parents  making ; 

We  try  to  make  thera  right, 

Our  parents  to  delight^ 


264         PEDAGOGICS  OF   THE   KINDERGARTEN. 


^ 


The  play-leader  claps  again,  and  the  children  turn  to 
the  left. 

Again  he  claps.  Each  of  the  children  lets  his  or  her 
hands  fall  on  the  shoulders  of  his  or  her  two  neighbors. 
With  this  they  turn  and  sing  : 

We  have  formed  a  garland  gay 

Which  completes  our  little  play  ; 

Lovingly  we  thus  were  bound 

As  happily  we  turned  around. 

Let  us  now,  the  selfsame  way, 

Turn  in  circle  large  and  gay  ; 

Clear  and  loud  our  merry  singing 

From  the  echo  back  is  ringing. 

Though  both  star  and  wreath  have  vanished, 

From  our  circle  none  are  banished. 


■1 


At  the  words  "  Let  us  now,  the  selfsame  way,"  the 
play-leader  claps,  and  the  four  circles  open  in  the  places 
turned  toward  the  middle  of  the  room.  From  this  point 
each  circle  swings  or  goes  backward  in  the  two  opposite 
directions  outward,  so  that  the  four  smaller  circles  now 
again  stand  in  the  large  circle  as  in  the  beginning  of  the 
play.  Here  the  children  standing  by  one  another  (who  are 
as  yet  separate)  take  hands  immediately,  and  at  the  words 
"  Turn  in  circle  large  and  gay  "  the  whole  circle  turns 
round  to  the  right.  After  the  concluding  words  the  circle 
dissolves.  Each  child  gives  his  right  hand  to  his  two 
neighbors. 

These  four  representations — circle,  star,  flower,  and 
crown — are  considered  and  treated  in  a  composite  and 
connected  play ;  but  with  quite  small  children,  each  may 
be  played  by  itself  as  a  single  game,  and  several  times  re- 
peated, though  the  intermediate  children  like  very  much 
to  play  it  as  a  coherent  whole. 

The  nature  and  spirit  of  this  play  are  plain — viz.,  that 


MOVEMENT  PLAYS.  265 

the  children  are  to  be  led  by  it  to  the  observation  of 
Nature,  of  their  own  life,  of  the  movements  of  their 
hearts  and  of  their  childlike  human  feelings,  and  to  the 
fostering  of  these  as  of  their  thoughtful  child  life  in 
general. 

From  these  plays  develop — 

C.  The  Bunking  Plays. 

The  child  seeks  to  exercise  his  ever-increasing  power 
of  walking,  and  to  measure  his  strength  with  that  of 
others ;  the  pure  running  plays,  the  outrunning  and  over- 
taking plays,  are  the  first  plays  of  the  completely  devel- 
oped power  of  movement.  The  play  with  his  ball  incites 
the  child  to  movement  games,  and  gives  him  an  oppor- 
tunity to  practice  them.  The  little  ball  escapes  from  the 
child's  hand ;  it  runs  away,  and  the  child  tries  to  overtake 
it,  to  reach  it  by  running  after  it.  But  the  pure  running 
plays  are  also  developed  from  the  play  itself.  Up  to  this 
time — 

1.    The  Racing  Game 

is  the  prime  favorite  with  our  children.  It  is  played  in 
the  open  air,  on  the  playground,  and  on  the  sufficiently 
broad  garden  paths,  as  well  as  in  the  spacious  playroom. 

This  racing  ground  is  a  large,  quadrangular  course, 
which  incloses  the  beds  and  gardens  of  the  children  as 
the  frame  incloses  a  slate. 

The  children  are  arranged  by  twos,  as  nearly  as  pos- 
sible according  to  equal  size,  strength,  and  dexterity. 

Each  pair  of  children  step  in  turn  before  the  play- 
leader  into  the  course  in  the  middle  of  one  of  the  broad 
sides,  back  to  back.  The  play-leader  and  the  remaining 
children  sing  : 

% 


266         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

Children,  your  limbs  move  now — 
Run  !    Your  swiftness  prove  now. 
Run  now — run  now  faster, 
Faster  still,  and  faster  I 

At  the  word  "  run  "  the  leader  claps  his  hands,  and  the 
children,  using  all  their  power,  run  in  opposite  directions. 
At  the  point  opposite  from  the  starting  place  the  runners 
pass  each  other,  and  each  of  them  tries  to  reach  first  the 
opened  arms  of  the  play-leader. 

Upon  the  second  repetition  of  the  race  two  of  those 
who  have  won  the  prize  in  the  former  race  go  first  into 
the  course.  Even  this  very  simple  movement  game  is 
played  by  the  children  with  great  pleasure. 

Other  running  plays  will  be  mentioned  when  we  reach 
the  point  whence  they  proceeded,  as  it  were,  from  the  life 
of  the  children  with  their  gifts. 

Hitherto  the  position  of  the  body  and  the  movement 
of  the  limbs  have  not  been  restricted,  but  both  of  these 
can  be  considered  in  simple  walking.     This  gives — 


D.  The  Pure  Walking  Games. 


Be  it  said,  by  the  way,  that  the  name  walhing  games 
(since  girls  also  share  them)  is  much  more  appropriate 
than  the  foreign  designation  of  "  marching." 

1.  The  Simple  Walking  Game. 

This  can  be  done  in  a  single  row  as  well  as  in  a  double 
row  by  children  standing  in  pairs  ;  the  latter  is  easier  for 
the  children,  and  they  like  it  better. 

A  good  deal  of  discretion  can  be  used  in  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  children.  Either  a  larger  child  can  be  placed 
with  each  smaller  one,  or  children  of  like  size  can  be  put 


^ 


MOVEMENT  PLAYS.  267 

together,  and  then  again  either  the  largest  or  the  smallest 
children  may  be  permitted  to  take  precedence.  The  room, 
playground,  or  garden  is  then  traversed  in  various  straight 
and  curved,  circular  and  winding  movements,  to  which 
the  following  words  are  sung  : 

Step  by  step  now  let  us  go, 

Equal  paces  take  also. 

Not  to  right  nor  left  we  turn  ; 

To  keep  the  knees  straight,  we  must  learn. 

Upright  must  the  body  be, 

Head  and  chest  and  leg  and  knee ;. 

Turning  out  the  feet  must  be, 

And  the  arms  be  hanging  free. 

Not  too  near  nor  far  away 

From  his  neighbor,  may  one  stray. 

How  glad  are  we,  as  two  by  two 

We  march  with  measured  step  and  true  I 

Or  the  play  may  be  accompanied  by  the  simple  little 
song  composed  by  the  before-mentioned  Herr  Langethal : 

We  move  in  equal  spaces, 
And  all  make  equal  paces, 
La,  la,  la,  etc. 

This  walking  play  always  gives  the  children  great 
pleasure. 

In  changing  the  play  and  the  room,  the  children,  who 
are  going  in  pairs  behind  one  another,  merely  sing  : 

Breast  to  back  now,  that's  well ;  so 
To  our  playing  let  us  go. 

That  disorder  and  rough  disturbing  willfulness  may 
never  enter,  it  is  a  good  plan,  wherever  it  is  possible,  to 
accompany  each  change  in  the  play  by  rhyme  and  song; 
so  that  the  latent  sense  of  rhythm  and  song,  and,  above  all, 
the  sense  of  order  in  the  human  being  and  child,  may  be 
20  ^ 


268         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

aroused  and  strengthened  to  an  impulse  for  social  co- 
operation. 

With  the  simple  walking  plays  may  be  sung  simple 
melodies  without  words.  Such  melodies  are  especially 
adapted  to  the  longer  walks  taken  out  of  doors,  when 
such  walks  are  over  level  paths. 

2.    Circular  Walking  Game.  flll 

The  walking  plays,  which  take  place  around  a  circle 
are  always  more  difficult  than  those  in  which  the  move- 
ment is  straightforward,  because  the  feet  have  to  be  set 
sidewise.  It  is  therefore  well  to  practice  the  latter  first, 
and  to  use  them  oftenest,  especially  with  very  small  chil- 
dren. Nevertheless,  it  is  noticeable  that  circular  position 
and  circular  movement  seem  to  have  a  special  attraction 
for  the  smallest  children.  Therefore  it  is  well  to  com- 
bine the  two  forms  of  play  by  allowing  the  children  to 
move  around  a  circle ;  only,  instead  of  moving  sidewise, 
to  walk  one  behind  the  other,  singing : 


Breast  to  back  now,  that's  well,  so 
In  the  circle  let  us  go. 


I 


In  the  specific  circling  games  the  children  stand,  not 
breast  to  back  but  side  by  side  and  hand  in  hand.  When 
the  object  is  to  direct  attention  to  the  circle  itself,  the 
children  sing  : 

Merrily  now,  side  by  side. 
In  a  circle  round  we  glide. 

If,  however,  attention  is  to  be  directed  in  part  and 
prominently  to  the  turning  out  of  the  feet,  the  children 

sing: 

Feet  turned  outward,  that's  fine,  so ; 
Gayly  in  a  ring  we  go. 


MOVEMENT  PLAYS.  269 

For  the  movement  plays  thus  far  considered  the  freely 
moving  ball  has  furnished  incitement  and  type.  The  ball 
attached  to  a  string  gives  the  incitement  and  point  of  de- 
parture for  another  series  of  plays.  To  illustrate  :  The 
children  stand  in  an  orderly  circle  around  the  leader ; 
the  leader  reaches  the  ball  (fastened  to  its  string)  to  any 
one  of  the  children ;  he  himself  retains  firm  hold  of  the 
string ;  he  pulls  the  string  slowly,  the  ball  escapes  from 
the  child's  hand  and  swings  rhythmically  here  and  there 
before  him.  The  leader  gives  words  to  this  phenome- 
non by  singing  : 

The  little  ball  moves  easily, 

There,  here — there,  here — there,  here. 

He  now  either  asks  the  child  from  whose  hand  he  lets 
the  ball  escape,  "  Will  you  also  do  what  I  have  done?"  or, 
generally,  "  Who  will  try  to  do  as  I  have  done  ?  " 

Usually  several  children  come  forward,  and,  decided 
by  good  reasons,  he  chooses  one  of  them,  places  him  in 
the  middle  of  the  circle  of  children,  lets  him  make  the 
swinging  movement  with  the  ball,  and  at  the  same  time 
sing  twice  the  above-quoted  words. 

The  first  time  this  game  was  played  I  noticed  that  the 
movement  of  the  ball  seemed  to  affect  the  children  mag- 
netically. As  the  ball  moved,  many  of  them  moved  also, 
bending  first  on  one  side,  then  on  the  other.  Afterward 
this  happened  again.  The  movement  of  the  children  was 
immediately  given  a  rhythmic  form,  and  thus  arose  a 
whole  series  of  movement  plays  proceeding  from  the  ball, 
which  aim  at  the  definite  training  of  the  body  and  its  in- 
dividual members. 


270         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 


Movement  Plays  proceeding  from  the  Ball  on 
THE  String,  which  have  in  view  at  the  same 
Time  an  Exact  Training  of  the  Body  and 
Limbs. 

A.   Swinging  Movement  Plays. 

As  soon  as  the  ball,  which  has  been  swung  by  the  child 
standing  in  the  middle  of  the  circle,  has  ceased  to  move, 
the  general  impulse  of  the  children  to  move  likewise  is 
greeted  by  the  following  song  : 

We  too  can  move  lightly. 
Here  and  there,  here  and  there. 

Accompanying  the  song,  the  children  move  their  bodies 
lightly  from  one  side  to  the  other.  As  they  sing  the  word 
"  we  "  they  rest  firmly  on  the  left  foot  and  slightly  raise  the 
right ;  with  the  next  syllable  they  rest  upon  the  right  foot 
and  raise  the  left.  This  rhythmic  alternation  occasions  a 
slightly  waving  movement  of  the  upper  part  of  the  body. 
Manifestly  the  rhythmic  alternation  may  proceed  from  the 
right  foot  to  the  left,  as  well  as  from  left  to  right,  and 
thus  produce  a  waving  movement  in  a  direction  opposite 
to  the  one  already  described. 

This  waving  movement,  when  continuous  and  uniform, 
not  only  delights  the  children  but  has  a  very  pleasing 
effect,  resembling  a  field  of  grain  moved  by  the  wind.  It 
is  of  course  understood  that  the  leader  watches  the  circle 
and  sees  that  it  is  kept  in  good  order.  Each  member  of 
the  circle  should  have  a  chance  to  lead,  for  it  is  especially 
developing  to  a  child  to  recognize  himself  on  the  one  hand 
in  his  own  independent  activity,  and  on  the  other  as  the 
member  of  a  well-ordered  totality. 

To  stand  in  the  middle  of  the  circle  and  freely  swing 


MOVEMENT   PLAYS.  271 

the  ball  gives  the  children  great  delight,  and  I  am  firmly 
convinced  that  it  is  important  for  the  welfare  and  develop- 
ment of  the  child  that  this  delight  should  be  fostered. 
Hence  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  this  game  should  be  re- 
peated often  enough  to  allow  each  of  the  participating 
children  to  act  as  leader. 

When  the  circle  is  a  large  one,  however,  it  becomes 
necessary  to  introduce  another  movement  to  alternate  with 
the  rocking  movement  of  the  whole  body.  The  most 
obvious  movement  which  suggests  itself  is  the  swinging 
of  the  arms,  and,  primarily,  the  swinging  of  one  arm  alone, 
beginning  naturally  with  the  right  arm. 

Thus,  when  the  child  in  the  middle  of  the  circle  has 
swung  his  ball  after  the  fashion  of  a  pendulum,  each  child 
in  the  circle  may  swing  his  right  arm,  accompanying  the 
movement  with  the  words : 

My  arm  is  lightly  swinging 
Here  and  there,  here  and  there. 

According  to  the  feeling  of  the  children,  either  these 
two  lines  or  only  the  last  line  may  be  repeated  twice. 

Instead  of  the  words  "  here  and  there,"  may  be  sung 
the  woMs  "front,"  " back." 

In  order  that  the  play  may  have  a  developing  effect 
upon  the  children,  it  is  important  that  there  should  be 
harmony  of  action.  Hence  care  must  be  taken  that  the 
motion  of  the  arm  is  the  same  at  each  repetition  of  the 
words.  Thus,  with  the  words  "  front,"  or  "  here,"  the  arm 
should  be  swung  toward  the  center  of  the  circle ;  with  the 
word  "  back  "  or  the  word  "  there  "  it  should  be  swung 
toward  the  circumference  of  the  circle. 

Only  through  this  harmony  of  word  and  movement 
can  the  true  life  and  spirit  of  this  play  work  freely  and 
effectively,  and  exert  its  fostering  influence. 


27^        PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

After  repeating  the  movement  with  the  right  arm  from 
four  to  six  times,  it  should  be  carried  out  with  the  left 
arm,  to  the  accompaniment  of  the  words — 

My  left  arm  now  is  swinging,  etc. 

Next,  both  arms  may  be  swung,  and  this  in  several 
different  ways. 

First.  With  both  arms  parallel  to  the  sides,  and  here 
again — a.  Both  arms  may  be  swung  at  the  same  time  and 
in  the  same  direction  ;  or,  h.  The  two  arms  may  be  swung 
alternately  and  in  opposite  directions,  to  the  song  : 

Both  arms  I  swing  lightly,  J 

Front  and  back,  front  and  back. 

Second.  Both  arms  may  be  parallel  to  the  breast,  and 
here  again — a.  Both  arms  may  be  swung  at  the  same  time 
and  in  the  same  direction ;  or,  h.  The  two  arms  may  be 
swung  alternately  and  in  opposite  directions. 

Simultaneous  movements  may  also  be  executed  by  the 
children  standing  with  intertwined  arms,  around  the  circle. 

Similar  movements  may  be  made  with  the  legs,  though 
they  naturally  admit  of  less  variety.     Thus : 

The  right  leg  here  and  there,  or  front  and  back ;  left 
leg  moved  in  same  manner;  right  leg  sideways  to  the 
right ;  left  leg  sideways  to  the  left. 

For  a  change  may  be  sung  the  words — 

Happy  and  successful  I  always  shall  be, 
Swinging  my  arms  [legs]  like  the  pendulum  free. 

Or— 

My  arm  swings  quickly  to  and  fro, 
And  like  the  pendulum  doth  go. 

If  exercise  of  the  hip  joints  seem  desirable,  the  trunk 
may  be  moved  in  the  same  way  while  the  lower  part  is 
held  firm,  singing : 


MOVEMENT  PLAYS.  273 

I  bend  my  body,  too, 

Front  and  back,  front  and  back. 

To  make  the  swinging  of  the  ball  and  the  swinging  of 
the  arms  points  of  departure  for  the  perception  of  living 
Nature,  and  in  order  to  give  more  precision  to  the  obser- 
vation of  nature,  the  following  words  by  Langethal  may 
be  sung  as  an  interpretation  of  the  movements  already 
described : 

When  they  like  wind-blown  twigs  appear. 
Well  pleased  are  then  the  children  dear,  etc. 

If  the  number  of  the  children  is  not  too  large,  the 
leader  may  call  each  child  singly  into  the  circle,  grasp  it 
under  the  arms,  and,  lifting  it,  allow  the  closed  legs  to 
swing  to  and  fro  while  the  trunk  remains  quiescent.  Suit- 
able words  will  of  course  accompany  this  exercise. 

This  play  will  be  a  pleasant  rest  for  the  children  if 
they  have  previously  been  playing  very  active  games. 

When  the  ball  is  vigorously  swung  toward  either  of  the 
two  sides,  it  swings  also  wholly  around  itself,  or  in  a  circle 
around  the  finger  tips  which  are  holding  the  string  fast. 
This  circling  movement  of  the  ball  on  the  string  swung 
by  the  finger  tips  of  the  right  hand  now  gives  rise  to  a 
whole  series  of  circling  and  turning  child  plays. 

B.    Circling  and  Turning  Movement  Plays  proceeding 
from  the  Ball. 

The  child,  standing  in  the  middle  of  the  play  circle, 
connects  again  with  his  earlier  play  with  the  ball,  by  sing- 
ing while  at  the  same  time  swinging  the  ball : 

My  little  ball  moves  easily 
There,  here — there,  here — there,  here — 
And  then  it  swings  around. 


274         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

The  children  standing  in  the  circle  then  move,  rock- 
ing from  one  foot  to  the  other  [or,  in  other  words,  poising 
themselves  first  on  one  foot  and  then  on  the  other],  as 
above  stated,  and  sing  : 

And  we  like  to  move  easily, 
There,  here — there,  here — there,  here —     - 
And  then  we  move  around. 

With  these  latter  words  the  whole  circle  goes  round 
either  to  the  right  or  left. 

Each  time,  after  all  the  children  have  turned  in  the 
circle,  another  child  steps  into  the  middle  of  the  circle 
and  swings  the  ball. 

Just  as  all  the  children  turned  in  a  circle,  so  may  each 
child  turn  one  of  its  limbs  in  a  circle.  Thus  the  child 
standing  in  the  middle  can  sing  and  show — 

My  little  ball,  etc., 

And  then  it  swings  around. 

Upon  this,  all  the  children  in  the  circle  sing : 

My  arm,  too,  can,  etc., 
And  then  it  swings  around. 

The  arm  hanging  vertically  can  now  be  swung  either 
from  behind  toward  the  front  or  vice  versa. 

As  with  the  right  arm,  so  with  the  left ;  and  as  with 
the  arms,  so  with  the  legs.  With  the  swinging  of  the  legs 
the  resulting  circle  is,  of  course,  horizontal,  as  that  with 
the  swinging  of  the  arms  is  vertical. 

With  the  circling  swinging  of  the  arms  may  also  be 
sung  for  a  change  : 

As  the  wind  turns  the  sails  of  the  mill, 
So  my  arm  turns  when  moved  by  my  will. 

This  movement  may  also  be  used  as  a  windmill  play. 


MOVEMENT  PLAYS.  275 

One  of  the  children  steps  into  the  middle  of  the  circle, 
swinging  its  arm  round,  and  singing  : 

When  fresh  and  strong  the  wind  blows, 
Around  with  speed  my  mill  goes. 
Though  small  the  mill  may  be, 
It  grinds  fine  meal  for  me. 

The  circle  of  players  then  turn  around  the  child  in 
the  middle,  and  sing : 

Because  the  miller  good  meal  made, 
Our  thanks  to  him  shall  now  be  paid. 

Another  child  now  steps  forward,  and  sings : 

Please  let  me  grind  as  well  as  you, 
And  then  to  me  thanks  will  be  due. 

The  song  begins  again  : 

When  fresh  and  strong  the  wind  blows,  etc. 

All  the  children  may  turn  their  arms  at  the  same  time. 
To  do  this  they  must  stand  at  a  suitable  distance  from 
each  other,  and  hence  form  a  considerably  enlarged  circle. 
The  following  words  may  be  sung  : 

The  mill  stands  high  on  the  windmill  hill ; 
The  strong  wind  blows  it — it  stands  not  stUl ; 
The  people  bring  the  grain  to  the  mill, 
Which  grinds  it  to  meal,  the  bags  to  fill ; 
The  baker  bakes  it — he  has  great  skill, 
And  little  children  eat  with  a  will. 

The  many-sided  developing  influence  of  this  play  may 
be  plainly  seen.  The  final  form  of  the  game  can  be  played 
as  the  conclusion  of  the  whole  series  of  exercises,  and  after 
several  children  have  individually  represented  the  mill. 

With  the  circling  movement  of  the  legs  and  feet,  the 
ball  on  the  string  is  to  be  swung  so  that  it  describes  a 
horizontal  circle : 

% 


276         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

Round  and  round  quickly  my  feet  I  can  swing, 
And,  like  the  ball,  I  can  make  a  round  ring. 

With  the  circling  movement  of  the  ball  on  the  string 
(especially  when  played  in  the  circle),  attention  may  be 
called  to  the  fact  that  one  side  of  the  ball  looks  toward 
the  middle,  or  that  it  always  points  out  the  middle  by  its 
string.  The  child  who  turns  the  ball  by  the  string,  with 
constant  attention  to  its  action,  sings : 

As  the  ball  goes  high  and  low, 
It  always  does  the  middle  show. 

This  indication  now  again  points  to  a  new  series  of 
pure  movement  plays.  All  the  children  of  the  circle  raise 
the  right  arm  to  a  horizontal  position,  point  with  it  to  the 
middle,  and,  turning  in  a  circle,  sing  : 

Round  and  round  now  as  we  go, 
We,  pointing,  do  the  middle  show. 

What  was  at  first  done  with  the  right  arm  is  now  done 
with  the  left. 

Now  the  children  let  their  arms  sink,  turn  all  their  faces 
toward  the  middle  of  the  circle,  turn  themselves,  and  sing : 

In  a  circle  now  turn  we. 
And  always  do  the  middle  see. 

Especial  care  must  here  be  taken  that  the  circle  is  a 
perfect  one.  The  children  will  themselves  notice  that  the 
more  perfect  the  circle,  the  more  clearly  can  the  middle 
be  seen  and  the  more  precisely  can  they  point  to  it.  This 
is  also  brought  forward  by  the  song  : 

If  now  the  ring  is  wholly  round. 
The  middle  easily  is  found. 

When  this  is  clearly  recognized  by  the  playing  children 
the  leader  asks :  "  Can  any  one  now  show  me  the  middle  ? 


MOVEMENT  PLAYS.  277 

Can  any  one  step  into  the   middle?"    A  many-voiced 
"  Yes ! "  will  certainly  follow. 

The  leader  now  begins  with  the  child  who  he  thinks 
has  best  understood  what  he  has  asked,  and  says,  turning 

to  him  : 

Dear  one,  I  pray  thee 
The  center  to  show  me. 

The  leader  then  conducts  the  child  as  slowly  as  pos- 
sible to  the  exact  middle  of  the  circle,  lets  him  stand  there 
a  few  seconds,  and  then  leads  him  back,  singing  : 

Our  order  you  fulfilled  with  grace, 
Now  step  back  to  your  former  place. 

In  this  manner  the  leader  conducts  each  child  in  the 
circle  to  the  middle  and  back  again.  We  saw  this  play 
carried  out  more  than  three  years  ago  in  several  institu- 
tions with  quite  young  children,  and  always  to  their  de- 
light. It  may  also  be  mentioned  that  this  play  was  in 
one  case  spontaneously  originated  by  the  children  of  such 
an  institution.  Langethal,  to  whom  this  fact  was  com- 
municated, has  developed  the  play  and  written  the  follow- 
ing words : 

Dear  one,  I  beg  thee 

The  middle  to  show  me ; 

Then  we  shall  know 

How  we  should  go. 

If  while  turning  in  the  circle  there  is  any  disorder  or 
any  deviation  from  the  curve,  etc.,  it  is  the  duty  of  the 
child  who  stands  in  the  middle  to  call  attention  to  this 
deviation  by  raising  his  arm  toward  the  side  of  the  circle 
where  the  disorder  exists.  If  the  child  fails  to  do  this, 
the  circle  has  the  right  to  make  him  attend  to  his  duty, 

by  singing :  ^ 

Would  you  in  the  middle  stay  f 
You  must  order  keep  alway. 


278         PEDAGOGICS   OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

This  reciprocal  effect  of  center  and  circumference 
upon  each  other  have  aroused  great  interest  whenever 
the  play  has  been  repeated,  and  the  circle  has  always 
joyfully  submitted  to  the  decision  of  the  little  leader, 
although  small  cases  of  disorder  have  been  purposely  in- 
cited in  order  to  test  the  attention  of  the  leader. 

From  this  play  is  now  developed  "  Child,  turn  thee," 
a  play  which,  therefore,  should  follow  those  above  de- 
scribed, and  which,  just  because  it  has  by  degrees  pro- 
ceeded from  child  life,  is  very  willingly  played  by  the 
children. 

The  children  arrange  themselves  according  to  their 
number  in  three,  four,  and  even  more  circles  of  six  or  at 
the  most  of  eight  children.  Children  of  different  sizes 
must  stand  in  each  circle,  so  that  the  smaller  ones  may  be 
joined  with  the  larger.  The  circles  must  be  so  disposed 
in  the  playroom  that,  considered  together,  they  again 
form  a  whole  circle. 

The  largest  child  in  each  circle  is  the  leader  of  that 
circle ;  the  general  leader  of  all  the  circles  stands  in  the 
middle,  so  that  the  movements  in  all  the  circles  take  place 
simultaneously.  Particular  and  general  are  beautifully 
brought  together,  and,  as  it  were,  reciprocally  join  hands 
for  united  and  clear  representation ;  for  the  very  spirit 
and  character  of  my  plays  demand  that  the  child  act  with 
the  fullest  and  purest  demonstration  of  his  individual  life, 
and  at  the  same  time  in  accord  and  harmony  with,  in 
respect  for  and  with  acknowledgment  of  the  whole  and 
its  requirements.  Without  fidelity  to  this  higher  spirit  of 
play  and  life  which  can  actually  show  itself  even  with  ten 
or  twelve  children,  the  plays  would  lose  their  significance 
for  mind  and  heart. 

The  children,  arranged  as  described,  turn  and  sing  at 


MOVEMENT  PLAYS.  279 

the  same  time  in  the  different  circles  at  a  sign  from  the 
play-leader  : 

We  stand  here  hand  in  hand,  and  sing, 
And  wish  to  turn  round  in  a  ring ; 
But  first  we  would  the  middle  know ; 
To  the  child  who  will  it  show, 
Our  hearty  thanks  shall  surely  go. 

The  child  who  offers  himself  for  this  position,  or  any 
child  the  leader  chooses,  is  now  placed  exactly  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  well-formed  circle,  and  the  children  in  the  cir- 
cle bow  toward  the  middle,  and  sing : 

We  bow  to  you,  we  bow  to  you, 

We  bow  to  you. 
And  while  your  little  song  you  sing. 
We'll  join,  and  move  round  in  a  ring. 

The  child  standing  in  the  middle  claps  its  hands,  and 
sings  (the  rest  softly  accompanying  it)  : 

Around,  around,  in  ring  around,  in  ring  around. 
Always  around,  yes,  always  around. 

Upon  this,  the  circle  turns  to  the  right. 

At  the  end  of  the  song  the  child  claps  his  hands  again, 
and  the  circle  turns  to  the  left,  to  the  accompaniment  of 
the  same  song. 

After  the  conclusion  of  the  song  the  child  claps  again, 
the  circle  stands  still,  and  sings  in  chorus  : 

Now,  all  standing  still,  will  we 
Your  smooth  dancing  like  to  see  ; 
We  to  you  a  song  will  sing. 
While  you  dance  in  this  round  ring. 

The  children  in  the  circle  now  clap  their  hands  and 
sing  while  the  child  turns  exactly  in  the  middle  of  the 
circle,  and  as  nearly  as  possible  upon  his  own  axis. 


280         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

For  small  children  this  spinning  movement  is  difficult, 
so  the  leader  may  enter  the  circle  with  the  child  and  ex- 
tend to  the  latter  the  middle  finger  of  her  right  hand. 
Holding  the  leader's  finger,  the  child  easily  turns  like  a 
wheel  about  its  axle. 

When  the  song  is  completed,  the  children  standing  in 
the  circle  clap  their  hands,  whereupon  the  child  in  the 
center  spins  around,  beginning  toward  the  left  instead  of 
toward  the  right.  The  game  is  repeated  until  all  the 
children  have  had  the  chance  to  spin. 

The  reciprocal  activity  of  the  individual  and  the  whole 
circle  is  also  marked  in  this  game,  for  which  reason  it  is  a 
favorite  for  children. 

At  the  close  of  this  whole  series  of  games  the  several 
small  circles  are  again  merged  in  the  one  large  circle  from 
which  they  were  previously  formed.  In  this  way  the  par- 
ticular, the  individual,  and  the  universal  are  shown  in 
gradation  and  harmony.  Through  experiences  of  this 
kind  the  child  is  prepared  to  recognize  the  relationship 
of  particular  and  universal  in  nature  and  in  life,  and 
finally  to  realize  the  significance  of  these  relationships  in 
the  structure  of  the  universe. 

Among  the  most  important  experiences  of  life  for  the 
child,  as  for  the  adult,  must  be  reckoned  the  experience 
that  in  the  process  of  development  from  each  given  object 
is  evolved  its  antithesis.  The  manner  of  this  evolution 
is  also  most  significant. 

To  enrich  the  child  with  this  experience,  while  he  is 
in  the  age  of  innocence  and  purity,  should  be  one  chief 
aim  of  early  education.  This  truth  of  evolution  by  an- 
tagonism should  therefore  be  adumbrated  in  his  plays. 
Later,  a  wise  education  will  lift  it  into  the  region  of 
clear  consciousness  and  reveal  it  as  a  guiding  law  of  life. 


MOVEMENT  PLAYS.  281 

Happy  the  child,  happy  the  youth  who  has  been  led  to 
recognize  this  weighty  truth  !  The  child  educated  in  this 
way  possesses  a  talisman  which  secures  to  him  in  his  im- 
passioned youth  not  only  purity  of  life,  but,  what  is  higher, 
purity  of  mind  and  heart. 

Such  an  experience  we  offer  the  children,  particularly 
in  our  circling  movement  plays.  Take  for  example  the 
play  "  Seeing  each  other  and  not  seeing  each  other."  The 
children  form  a  circle ;  the  circle  moves  around.  The  fol- 
lowing words  (written  in  part  by  Langethal)  are  sung  : 

In  circle  we  are  winding, 
La,  la,  la,  la,  la,  la,  la, 
Each  other's  faces  finding, 
La,  la,  la,  la,  la,  la,  la, 
Clip-a-clap,  clip-a-clap. 
And  now  the  middle  showing, 
Yes,  yes,  yes,  yes,  yes,  yes,  yes, 
Round  which  the  ring  is  going, 
Yes,  yes,  yes,  yes,  yes,  yes,  yes. 
This  is  splendid — 'tis  fine,  so 
In  a  ring  to  go  ! 

The  circle  now  divides.  The  leader  turns  with  his  next 
playmate  toward  the  outside  and  moves  in  the  opposite 
direction  from  that  before  pursued,  this  time  with  his 
back  to  the  center  of  the  circle — while  all  the  players 
follow  him  hand  in  hand,  and  so  by  degrees  each  turning 
from  his  place  backward — close  round  the  circle,  accom- 
panying their  movements,  all  the  children  sing  : 

Now  turning,  we  are  winding. 
The  ends  together  binding. 

According  to  the  size  of  the  circle,  this  is  to  be  done 
after  singing  the  words  once  or  twice.  As  the  circle  is  n^w 
closed,  and  the  turning  has  caus^  all  the  players  to  stand 


282         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

with  their  faces  turned  outward,  the  leader,  immediately 
followed  by  the  whole  circle,  begins  to  sing : 

In  circle  we  are  winding, 

La,  la,  la,  la,  la,  la,  la. 

Each  other  now  not  finding, 

La,  la,  la,  la,  la,  la,  la, 

Clip-a-clap,  clip  a-clap. 

We  trust  the  middle  surely, 

Yes,  yes,  yes,  yes,  yes,  yes,  yes ; 

So  look  around  securely, 

Yes,  yes,  yes,  yes,  yes,  yes,  yes. 

This  is  splendid — 'tis  fine,  so 

In  a  ring  to  go. 

Upon  this  begins  again,  as  before  (but  reversed),  the 
turning  of  the  face  toward  the  inside,  with  the  words : 
Now,  turning,  we  are  winding. 
The  ends  together  binding. 

And  now  the  play  can  begin  anew,  as  above. 

In  order  to  let  the  children  see,  as  it  were  in  a  mirror, 
their  different  ways  of  standing,  they  may  clap  the  palms 
of  their  hands  together  at  the  beginning,  when  the  faces 
are  turned  toward  one  another ;  but  later,  when  back  is 
turned  to  back,  strike  the  back  of  their  hands  together. 
Such  comparisons  of  position,  by  aid  of  touch,  are  quite 
essential  to  help  the  child  to  clear  insight,  and  must  be 
retained  whenever  presented.  In  so  far  as  play  affords 
this  comparison  it  has  a  developing,  educating,  formative 
influence.  In  the  games  presented  by  me  this  compari- 
son has  been  employed  with  clear  consciousness  of  its 
significance. 

The  game  of  "  Seeing  and  not  seeing  each  other " 
may,  if  the  playroom  admits,  be  played  in  a  second  and 
prettier  way. 

The  game  begins  as  before,  with  the  exception  that  the 


MOVEMENT   PLAYS. 


288 


circle  is  made  only  large  enough  to  occupy  one  half  of  the 
free  space  of  the  room  (a),  so  that  in  the  other  half  may 
be  formed  the  second  circle  (Z>),  wherein  the  children's 
faces  are  turned  toward  the  outside.  Standing  in  a,  the 
children  sing,  as  before  : 


In  circle  we  are  winding, 
La,  la,  la,  la,  la,  la,  la. 
Each  other's  faces  finding, 
La,  la,  la,  la,  la,  la,  la. 
Clip-a-clap,  clip-a-clap. 
And  now  the  middle  showing, 
Yes,  yes,  yes,  yes,  yes,  yes,  yes, 
Round  which  the  ring  is  going, 
Yes,  yes,  yes,  yes,  yes,  yes,  yes. 
This  is  splendid — 'tis  fine,  so 
In  a  ring  to  go. 

The  leader  opens  the  circle  toward  the  side  J,  where 
the  second  half  of  the  space  is  as  yet  free,  and  moves  with 
the  rest,  following  hand  in  hand,  as  if  she  would  form  a 
circle  similar  to  the  first.  Turning,  however,  toward  i, 
she  moves  in  such  a  way  that  with  the  second  circle  now 
to  be  formed  the  backs  of  all  are  turned  toward  the  mid- 
dle, and  their  faces  toward  the  outside,  so  ^  that  the  whola 
forms  a  winding  line.  , ; 


21 


284         PEDAGOGICS   OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

While  this  is  going  on  the  players  sing  : 

Now  turning,  we  are  winding, 
The  ends  together  binding. 


Upon  this  the  second  circle  h  is  closed,  with  the  faces 
turned  outward  in  the  second  half  of  the  play-space.  The 
circle,  turning  as  above,  then  sings  : 

In  circle  we  are  winding,  etc., 
Each  other  now  not  finding,  etc. ; 
We  trust  the  middle  surely,  etc. ; 
So  look  around  securely,  etc. 

Here  also  applies  the  previous  remark  about  the  different 
ways  of  clapping  the  hands. 

The  leader  opens  the  circle  as  before,  but  toward  the 
opposite  side,  toward  a,  and  forms  again  a  winding  line 
in  the  opposite  position  to  the  first,  to  which  the  whole 
circle  again  sings  : 

Now  turning,  we  are  winding,  etc. 
The  play  then  begins  anew.     The  figure,  therefore,  which 
the  movement  of  the  play  makes,  regarded  as  a  whole,  re- 
sembles a  horizontal  eight. 


Here  conclude  the  movement  plays  proceeding  from 
the  ball,  and  the  indications  of  their  significance  for  the 


MOVEMENT  PLAYS.  285 

physical,  intellectual,  and  moral  life  of  the  child  and  of 
the  future  man.  What  is  omitted  here  will  be  beautifully 
supplied  by  the  more  definite  and  sharper  movements  of 
the  sphere,  from  which  the  further  progression  of  the 
movement  plays  proceeds. 


XV. 

HOW   LIKA   LEARNED  TO   WRITE   AND   READ. 

A  Pretty  Story  for  Children  who  like  to  be  busy. 

LiNA  was  a  little  girl  about  six  years  old,  who  liked  to 
employ  herself  independently.  She  could  accomplish  a 
great  many  things  with  simple  playthings;  could  build 
many  pretty  things  with  cubes  and  bricks ;  and  lay  many 
pretty  things  with  tablets  of  different  forms  and  colors, 
and  with  sticks,  etc.  She  could  make  many  beautiful 
things  in  various  ways  by  putting  together  colored  sticks, 
strips  of  paper,  and  other  material ;  make  many  objects 
with  her  little  playthings,  which  were  on  that  account  so 
much  the  dearer  to  her. 

Lina  could  also  easily  catch  the  ball,  and  had  by  this 
means  acquired  such  dexterity  and  such  control  of  the 
body — such  skillful  use  of  her  limbs — that  she  did  not 
easily  let  anything  fall,  nor  awkwardly  push  it  out  of 
place. 

Lina  also  knew  many  pretty  little  songs,  and  could 
sing  them.  She  could  accompany  many  of  her  little  plays 
with  songs,  which  increased  her  pleasure  in  the  plays,  for 
the  songs  instructed  her  as  to  what  she  was  doing,  and  so 
she  did  not  need  to  be  always  disturbing  father  and  mother 
by  asking,  "  What  is  that  ?  "     "  Why  is  that  ?  " 

So  Lina  was  always  cheerful  and  active,  for  she  never 


HOW  LINA  LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND  READ.  287 

felt  time  hang  heavily,  and  so  was  never  ill-humored.  On 
the  contrary,  because  she  was  always  contented  and  cheer- 
ful, she  was  the  special  delight  of  her  parents,  as  well  as 
an  example  for  other  children  who  would  like  to  be  the 
delight  of  their  parents,  and  who  like  to  play  and  are 
happy  in  lively,  orderly  activity. 

As  Lina,  on  account  of  these  good  qualities,  was  per- 
mitted to  be  much  with  her  parents  and  to  play  beside 
them,  she  noticed,  one  day,  that  her  father  was  very  glad 
to  receive  a  letter,  and  soon  after  sent  one  in  reply.  Turn- 
ing entreatingly  to  her  mother,  who  was  in  the  room,  she 
said  :  "  Give  me  a  little  piece  of  paper,  dear  mother,  please, 
please ;  I  want  to  write  a  letter  too,  like  dear  father." 

"  Little  children  like  you,  dear  Lina,"  said  her  mother, 
**  can  not  write  like  your  father,  and  still  less  on  paper. 
Your  little  fingers  are  too  weak  for  skillful  holding  or 
guiding  of  a  pen  or  pencil.  But  I  will  show  you  how  you 
can  lay  letters  with  little  sticks,  and  so,  in  a  certain  way, 
write  at  least  as  much  as  you  wish  to  or  are  able  to."  So 
spoke  the  good  mother  to  her  little  Lina,  who  went  on 
entreating  : 

"  0  mother,  teach  me !  But  could  other  people  read 
what  I  write  in  that  way  ?  " 

"  Let  us  try  at  once,  my  child.  I  have  sticks  here  at 
hand,  and  this  smooth,  dark-colored  table  just  suits  our 
purpose;  the  pure  white  wooden  sticks  will  look  very 
pretty  on  it." 

"  But  do  you  know  also,  my  child,"  the  kind  mother 
went  on,  "  that  when  your  father  sends  a  letter  he  always 
writes  his  name  at  the  close  of  it,  and  on  the  outside  he 
writes  the  name  of  the  one  who  is  to  receive  it?  So,  my 
child,  you  must  first  of  all  learn  to  write  your  name — 
that  is,  learn  to  lay  it  with  sticks." 


288         PEDAGOGICS  OP  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

"  Oh,  yes,  dear  mother,  that  I  will,  that  I  will." 

"  Now,  what  is  your  name,  my  child  ?  " 

"  Oh,  you  know  that ;  my  name  is  Lina." 

"  I  know  your  name  indeed,"  said  her  mother,  "  but 
if  you  wish  to  write  it,  or  at  first  lay  it  with  sticks,  we 
must  listen  to  it  carefully,  and  give  attention  to  the  dif- 
ferences between  open  and  close  sounds  which  we  notice 
in  it.  We  must  learn  to  know  the  signs  for  these  open 
or  close  sounds,  so  that  we  may  lay  those  letters  next  to 
each  other,  just  as  we  hear  the  open  and  close  sounds 
follow  one  another  in  your  name." 

So  said  the  dear,  thoughtfully  instructive  mother  to 
the  attentive  child,  and  went  on  :  "  Now,  little  daughter, 
tell  me  your  name  again,  very  slowly  and  clearly,  and 
notice  what  different  sounds  you  find  in  it.  I  will  then 
also  tell  you  what  I  hear." 

The  child,  eager  to  learn,  now  spoke  her  name  slowly 
and  clearly — "  L-i-n-a." 

"  I  heard  the  sounds  i  and  a,"  said  the  mother  ;  "  now 
we  will  try  to  speak  your  name  once  more  together,  and 
notice  whether  you  hear  the  same  open  sounds  as  I." 

Mother  and  child  now  say  together :  "  L-i-n-a, 
L-i-n-a;  i— a." 

"  I  hear  the  same  as  you,  dear  mother,"  said  Lina ; 
"  the  open  sounds  are  i  and  a." 

"  So,  in  Lina,  we  hear  the  open  sounds  i  and  a." 

"  Now,  my  child,  I  will  lay  this  straight  stick  vertically 
before  you,"  went  on  the  mother,  |  .  "  When  you  see 
it  in  this  position  let  me  hear  at  once  the  sound  i."  The 
mother  now  again  laid  the  stick  several  times  vertically 
before  the  child  |  and  the  child  at  once  uttered  the 
sound  i. 

"  See,"  the  kind  mother  now  said  to  the  child,  "  this 


HOW  LINA  LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND  READ.    289 

vertical  stick  " — pointing  to  it — "  is  always  the  sign  for 
the  sound  i." 

The  mother,  for  practice,  now  laid  the  sticks  several 
times  before  her  little  daughter,  who  at  once  said  "  i." 

"  But  did  we  not  hear  a  second  open  sound  in  your 
name  ?  "  questioned  the  mother. 

"  Yes,  the  sound  a,"  answered  the  child. 

"  See,"  said  the  mother,  "  now  I  lay  two  sticks  here, 
close  to  each  other  at  the  top,  and  join  them  by  a  third 
smaller  one  in  a  horizontal  direction — A* ;  when  you 
see  this  sign  let  me  hear  at  once  the  second  open  sound 
of  your  name." 

The  mother  now  took  away  the  sign,  and  laid  it  again 
repeatedly,  and  the  child  uttered  the  sound  every  time  as 
soon  as  the  sign  lay  before  her.  Lina  and  her  mother  had 
such  a  lively,  happy  time,  that  it  was  a  pleasure  to  watch 
them  ;  for  the  mother  laid  now  the  vertical  stick  (  |  ), 
when  the  child  immediately  uttered  clearly  the  sound  i, 
for  which  it  was  the  sign  ;  now  again  the  three  con- 
nected sticks  (A),  and  then  the  child  uttered  at  once  the 
sound  a. 

Then  they  changed  :  the  child  laid  the  sticks  and  the 
mother  gave  the  sounds.  Another  time  the  mother  again 
made  the  sounds,  and  the  child  had  to  lay  the  right  sign 
or  letter  for  each  sound. 

*  Since  it  would  not  be  possible,  or  at  least  would  be  very  diflfi- 
cult,  to  represent  the  stick-letters  by  simple  strokes  of  equal  width, 
the  Roman  capital  letters  must  be  here  employed  to  indicate  them. 
I  must  also  remark  that  the  round  lines  in  R,  P,  D,  0,  etc.,  are  to 
be  laid  with  slender  sticks  which  have  been  nipped  or  indented  on 
the  inside,  in  little  incisions  between  the  thumb  nail  and  that  of  the 
forefinger,  and  then  curved,  one  of  which  is  used  in  the  R  and  P, 
but  two  in  D,  0,  Q.  ^ 


290         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

Now  both  signs  or  letters 

I    A 
lay  before  the  child  and  mother.     The  mother  then  asked 
her  child,  "  But  is  your  name  only  i  and  a?  " 

"  No,  my  name  is  Lina." 

"  Well,  then,  we  need  some  more  signs  for  your  name. 
Say  it  to  me  once  more,  very  slowly,  but  pay  attention  to 
your  mouth,  and  especially  to  the  movement  of  your 
tongue,  and  listen  carefully  too,  and  observe  whether  you 
notice  anything." 

The  child  said,  as  her  mother  had  desired,  "  L-i-n-a." 

"  Now  I  will  also  speak  your  name  in  the  same  way," 
said  the  mother.     "  Be  attentive — L-i-n-a." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  the  child  immediately  remarked,  "  there 
are  some  more  sounds  added  to  the  i  and  a  by  the  move- 
ment of  the  tongue." 

"  Quite  right,  my  child  ;  now  attend  once  more.  Be- 
fore the  letter  i  I  lay  the  sign  for  the  close  sound  which 
you  hear  before  the  open  sound  i — 

LI. 
Now,  that  is    Li  ;    and   before   the  letter   A   I  lay  the 
sign   for   the   close   sound   which   you    hear   before   the 
sound  a — 

NA. 

Now,  that  is  na  ;  and  the  two  put  close  together — 

LINA— 
make  Lina." 

So  the  mother  taught  the  attentive  child,  who  was 
eager  to  learn;  and  the  delighted  child  read,  and  said 
"  Lina — Lina."  Then  she  took  the  signs  away  and  laid 
them  anew. 

"  Oh,  how  glad  I  am,  dear,  good  mother,  that  I  can 


HOW  LINA   LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND   READ.   291 

now  lay  and  read  my  name !     How  I  thank  you  !     But 
could  father  and  other  people  read  it  too  ?  " 

"  It  is  about  noon  now,"  said  her  mother ;  "  your  father 
and  uncle  will  soon  come  home ;  then  we  will  see  if  they 
can  read  what  you  have  laid." 

"  If  father  and  uncle  were  only  here  now,  how  glad  I 
should  be ! " 

As  the  child  said  this,  they  came  into  the  room,  and 
Lina  scarcely  left  them  time  to  speak  to  her  mother  be- 
fore she  caught  hold  of  her  mother's  dress  and  looked  up 
at  her  entreatingly.  The  mother  understood  the  implor- 
ing look,  and  took  the  father  by  the  hand  and  led  him  to 
the  table,  saying,  "  See,  father,  what  Lina  has  laid  here." 

The  father  looked,  and  read  :  "  *  Lina.'  Ah,  my  child, 
you  have  really  laid  your  name.  You  can  write  your 
name  with  sticks." 

Then  the  uncle  came  up,  and  said  :  "  Now  I  must  see 
that  too.  It  is  really  so.  'Lina'  is  written  here  with 
sticks." 

Then  they  were  all  very  glad. 

But  the  father  said :  "  Now,  my  child,  let  me  see  you 
lay  your  name.  I  will  take  up  the  sticks ;  now  write  it 
again  with  them." 

And  she  said,  "  Directly,  dear  father,"  and  again  laid 
LINA. 

Now  the  father,  then  the  uncle,  asked  first  about  the 
one,  then  about  the  other,  letters  or  signs,  and  the  child 
was  required  to  utter  the  open  or  close  sound,  signified. 
Then,  changing  the  order,  they  pronounced  one  of  the 
sounds  of  the  name  Lina,  and  the  child  had  to  lay  the 
sign  for  it. 

The  pleasure  and  delight  of  this  needed  to  be  seen  in 
order  to  be  realized.  •. 


292         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

But  the  mother  said :  "  Children,  you  are  forgetting 
your  dinner.     The  food  will  be  cold." 

When  they  had  all  come  to  the  table,  Lina's  uncle 
said :  "  The  dear  mother  takes  care  of  us  all ;  first  she 
helps  Lina,  and  now  she  takes  care  for  us  that  our  dinner 
may  not  get  cold.  You  have  to-day,  Lina,  given  us  pleas- 
ure by  laying  and  reading  your  name;  to-morrow  give 
us  pleasure  by  laying  and  reading  the  beautiful  word 
*  mother.' " 

"  You  are  quite  right,  dear  uncle,"  said  the  child. 

And  every  one  at  the  table  was  as  pleased  and  glad  as 
if  they  were  celebrating  a  birthday. 

The  next  day,  the  hour  which  the  careful  mother  usu- 
ally devoted  to  her  child  had  scarcely  arrived  when  the 
child  came  to  her,  entreating,  "  Please  teach  me  to-day  to 
lay  the  beautiful  word  '  mother,'  so  that  I  may  again  please 
father  and  uncle  when  they  come  home." 

"  It  is  indeed  a  beautiful  word  which  you,  my  child, 
wish  to  lay,  and  we  will  learn  to  lay  it,"  said  the  mother. 
"  But  there  is  another  word  just  as  beautiful  and  dear,  and 
that  is Do  you  know  what  that  is  ?  " 

"  Ah,  yes — '  father,'  "  said  Lina. 

"  Well,  we  will  learn  to  lay  this  to-day,  so  that  father, 
when  he  comes,  may  see  that  we  thought  of  him  and  love 
him." 

Now  the  mother  required  the  child  to  utter  again,  very 
plainly,  the  word 

V-A-T-E-R, 

and  asked  Lina  what  open  sounds  she  heard.  It  was  not 
only  easy  for  her  to  answer  a  [as  in  far]  ^  and  "  e"  [e,  as 
in  prey ^  quickly  spoken,  a  little  longer  than  e  in  get]^  but 
she  also  said  at  once, ' '  See,  mother,  I  already  know  the 


HOW  LINA  LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND  READ.   293 

sign  for  the  sound  *  a ' " ;  and  she  laid  it  on  the  table 
before  her  mother — 


"  That  is  fine,"  answered  her  mother.  "  Now  I  will 
teach  you  the  sign  for  the  open  sound  e  [a,  spoken 
quickly]  ;  and  she  laid,  at  a  little  distance  from  one 
another, 

A    E. 

By  means  of  Lina's  attention  and  her  mother's  help 
the  close  sounds  in  the  word  (V  T  R)  and  the  three  signs 
for  them 

V    T    R, 

were  soon  found,  and  learned  by  means  of  practice  and 
change  of  place,  and  the  beautiful  word 

.    VATER 
lay  before  them.     And  this  also  Lina  could  read  just  as 
easily  as  she  had  before  read  her  own  name,  and,  after  the 
sticks  were  taken  up,  she  was  soon  able  to  lay  the  word 
herself. 

There  was  now  again  great  delight — her  present  de- 
light, and  that  which  Lina  expected  when  her  father  and 
uncle  came  home  again.  The  little  girl,  pleased  with 
what  she  had  done,  and  eager  to  learn,  wished  to  go  on. 
"  Mother,  dear  mother,"  she  said  entreatingly,  "  my  uncle 
wanted  me  to  lay  the  beautiful  word  'mother'  [Mutter]. 
Please  teach  it  to  me,  so  that  when  he  comes  to-day  he 
may  be  pleased ;  and  father  certainly  will  be  glad  also  if 
I  can  lay  it." 

"  Willingly,"  answered  her  mother ;  "  only  you  must 
not  forget  the  old  as  you  learn  the  new." 

"  Oh,  no,  certainly  not ;  you  can  question  me  whenever 
you  wish." 


294        PEDAGOGICS  OP  THE  KlNDERGAUTEN. 

Now  the  mother  asked  her  little  daughter  first  to  speak 
the  word  slowly  and  distinctly,  and  to  notice  the  open 
sounds  u  [oo]  and  e  [a,  quickly  spoken].  The  child  soon 
found  that  there  was  only  one  new  open  sound  (u),  and 
her  mother  at  once  taught  her  the  sign  for  it, 

u,        ,      . 

and  told  her  to  lay  the  two  letters  on  the  table  before  her, 
a  little  way  apart,  which  she  did,  thus — 

U    E. 
The  new  close  sound,  m,  which  occurs  in  the  word, 
was  also  soon  found,  and  the  sign  for  it, 

M, 
was  learned  by  the  child.     So  there  soon  stood,  or  rather 
lay,  before  her  on  the  table  the  whole  word 

MUTTER, 

to  which  the  child,  full  of  joy,  added  the  word  she  had 
already  learned — 

VATER. 

After  the  mother  and  child  had  in  various  ways  com- 
pared the  sounds  and  signs  in  the  two  words,  and  discov- 
ered the  resemblances  and  the  differences  in  the  two,  and 
the  child  could  with  certainty  both  lay  and  read  them, 
then,  to  her  great  delight,  her  father  and  uncle  entered 
the  room. 

The  child's  eyes  shone  as  brightly  as  they  had  done 
on  the  last  Christmas  morning,  when  she  saw  the  joy  of 
her  beloved  father  and  of  her  dear  uncle. 

Signs  and  sounds  were  examined,  and,  as  Lina  answered 
all  questions  correctly,  her  pleasure  was  so  great  that  she 
at  last  said,  "  I  will  take  up  the  sticks  for  both  words,  and 
then  lay  each  again."    No  sooner  said  than  done.     The 


HOW  LINA  LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND  READ.    295 

sticks  were  taken  up,  and  soon  there  lay  again,  beautifully 
arranged,  before  them  all — 

VATER, 

MUTTER, 
and  quickly,  too, 

LINA 
lay  beneath. 

Then  the  father  added  to  his  little  daughter's  name 
the  word 

LIEB  [German  for  DEAR], 

and  said,  laughing,  and  asking  to  test  her  knowledge, 
"Now  read  also  what  I  have  written." 

"  I  know  the  first  sign  already,"  said  Lina ;  "  the  sec- 
ond and  third  I  know  too  ;  but  I  do  not  know  what  the 
bow  above  the  IE  means." 

The  mother  :  "  It  shows  that  the  two  thus  connected 
are  the  sign  for  the  somewhat  lengthened  I  [pronounced 
like  the  English  ee  in  seen].  Now  say  what  you  know." 
"Lie"  [Lee],  said  the  child.  "Now  close  your  lips," 
said  the  mother.  "  And  you  have  the  word  '  Lieb,' "  said 
the  child. 

"  Now  read  both  words,"  said  the  father  encouragingly. 

"  Lieb  Lina"  [Dear  Lina],  read  the  child,  and  clung 
lovingly  and  gratefully  to  father,  mother,  and  uncle,  look- 
ing up  at  them  with  glad  eyes  ;  and  she  softly  said,  "  My 
beloved  father,  my  good  mother,  my  dear  uncle  ! " 

"  Yes,  to  have  good  parents  is  a  great  good  fortune  for 
children,"  s^id  the  uncle.  "  Let  us  see  now,  Lina,  if  you 
can  lay  these  beautiful  words  for  us  to-morrow."  And 
then  they  all  went  quietly  to  dinner. 

The  next  morning,  when  the  appointed  hour  brought 
mother  and  child  together  again  for  common  employment, 


296         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

it  was  Lina's  first  care  to  fulfill  her  father's  and  her  uncle^s 
wish,  and  to  lay  the  words  which  they  desired. 

By  exact  observation  of  the  words  and  their  parts,  the 
child  then  soon  discovered  that  only  two  new  open  sounds, 
and  but  one  close  sound,  with  their  signs,  occurred  in  the 
whole :  namely,  the  open  sound  ei,  sign  EI  [like  the  Eng- 
lish letter  I  in  pine],  and  the  open  sound  o,  with  the  sign 
0 ;  then  the  sound  h,  with  its  sign  H. 

All  this  was  soon  learned  by  the  attentive  Lina,  guided 
by  her  faithful  mother,  and,  after  thorough  and  repeated 
practice,  the  desired  words  lay  before  mother  and  child 
on  the  table  : 

"  MEIN  LIEBER  OHEIM  "  [My  dear  uncle]. 
"  MEIN  LIEBER  VATER  "  [My  dear  father]. 
To  these  Lina  quickly  added  : 

"MEINE  LIEBE  MUTTER"  [My  dear  mother]. 

"  MEINE  LIEBEN  ELTERN  "  [My  dear  parents]. 

Great  was  the  joy ;  but  it  was  greater  still  when  the 
father,  after  he  had  come  home  with  the  uncle  somewhat 
earlier  than  usual,  had  read  what  was  laid ;  and  Lina 
had,  with  the  help  of  her  mother,  read  the  words  which 
he  added  : 

"LINA  1ST  UNSER  LIEBES  KIND" 
[Lina  is  our  dear  child]  ; 
for  it  soon  appeared  that  there  were  in  it  but  three  un- 
familiar signs — S,  K,  D — which  the  good  mother  easily 
•pointed  out  to  the  child. 

Now,  when  the  father  and  uncle  had  again  read  the 
words  aloud,  Lina  took  her  mother  by  the  hand,  led  her 
to  the  window  where  her  sewing  table  stood,  and  whispered 
something  to  her.     Then  the  mother  looked  kindly  at  the 


HOW  LINA  LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND  READ.    297 

child,  made  some  marks  with  her  fingers  on  the  sewing 
table,  and  Lina,  satisfied,  went  back  to  her  father  and 
said  to  him  :  "  Go  to  the  window  for  a  little  while ;  I  will 
now  lay  something  more,  and  see  if  you  can  read  it." 

With  her  mother's  quiet  help  the  following  soon  lay 
on  the  table  : 

"  DU  BIST  UNSER  GUTER  VATER  " 

[You  are  our  good  father]. 

The  mother  had  to  show  Lina  but  one  new  sign,  G.   "  Now 

come,  dear  father,"  said  the  mother,  "  and  read  what  Lina 

and  I  said  to  you  in  silent  words." 

After  he  had  read  it  he  embraced  mother  and  child, 
and  said,  "  You  are  my  joy,  my  happiness." 

Then  the  uncle  quietly  approached  them,  and  said, 
"  Now  let  me  be  the  fourth  in  your  band  of  happiness, 
joy,  and  peace." 

"  I  have  indeed  thought  of  you,  dear  uncle ;  but  there 
is  no  more  time  now  to  make  words,  for  mother  says  the 
dinner  is  waiting  for  us  again." 

Thus  passed  many  a  joyous  day  for  the  happy  family. 
Lina  always  had  her  box  of  sticks  at  hand,  and  whenever 
she  could  she  tried  to  lay  the  names  of  the  members  of 
her  family  and  point  out  their  relations  to  the  whole 
(whether  cousin  or  grandmother),  so  that  there  was  soon 
no  name  and  no  relationship  that  she  had  not  been  able 
to  lay  with  sticks. 

At  this  time  the  father  was  obliged  to  take  a  journey, 
which  he  said  would  keep  him  away  from  home  for  some 
time.  As  soon  as  her  father  had  gone,  the  child's  old 
wish  arose  again.  *'  Mother,  I  wish  I  could  write,  so  that 
I  might  send  a  letter  to  father." 

"  As  far  as  possible  I  will  grant  your  wish,"  said  the 


298         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

kind  mother  to  the  expectant  child,  who  immediately 
sprang  np  joyfully,  embraced  her  mother,  and  jubilantly 
cried  : 

"  To-morrow  !  to-morrow  ! " 

The  next  day  came,  and  with  it  the  hour  fixed  for  the 
mutual  employment  of  mother  and  child.  Full  of  expec- 
tation, Lina  hastened  into  her  mother's  room.  She  had 
scarcely  taken  time  to  say  "  Good  morning"  to  her  mother, 
who  was  working  at  her  sewing  table,  when  involuntarily 
her  eyes,  head,  and  body  turned  toward  the  table  in  the 
middle  of  the  room,  whence  a  beautiful  new  slate  seemed 
to  beckon  to  her  kindly.  By  the  slate  lay  a  slate  pencil 
glued  into  a  penholder,  and  with  a  few  flying  steps  the 
little  girl  stood  next  to  the  table  looking  joyfully  at  the 
slate,  and,  as  it  were,  caressing  it,  turning  it  on  all  sides, 
and  twirling  the  pencil  between  her  fingers.  Again  at- 
tentively examining  the  slate,  she  ran  with  it  to  her 
mother,  exclaiming,  "  See,  mother,  the  beautiful  straight 
marks  and  the  many  little  squares  on  the  slate  ! " 

"  Yes,  my  child,  they  will  make  writing  easy  to  you." 

All  at  once  Lina  stood  quite  perplexed,  and  as  if  awak- 
ened from  a  dream,  before  her  mother ;  at  last  she  found 
words,  and  said  :  "  0  mother,  I  thought  I  should  write 
now  with  the  pen  on  paper.  I  can  not  send  this  slate  to 
father  as  a  letter." 

"  You  will  very  soon  be  able  to  write  on  paper,"  said 
her  mother  consolingly,  "  although  not  yet  with  pen  and 
ink,  but  with  a  lead  pencil,  so  that  you  can  write  a  letter 
to  your  father  and  send  it  before  he  returns ;  only  you 
must  be  as  attentive  as  you  were  before." 

"  0  mother,  that  I  will  be  certainly  !  " 

"  Come,  then,  we  will  begin  at  once." 

Her  mother  now  taught  Lina  first  how  to  hold  the 


HOW  LINA  LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND  READ.    299 

slate  pencil  properly,  so  that  the  unpracticed  little  fingers 
would  not  be  unnaturally  bent  and  pressed  together.  Then 
she  desired  her  again  to  lay  her  name,  "  Lina,"  with  sticks 
on  the  table,  and  showed  her  how  to  indicate  the  length 
of  one  of  the  sticks  laid  on  the  table  by  a  straight  mark 
two  squares  long.  After  some  help  from  her  mother,  Lina 
had  soon  written  her  name  with  her  pencil  on  the  net- 
work of  the  slate.  When,  after  some  practice,  it  stood 
completed  on  the  slate,  she  showed  it  to  her  mother. 
"  See,  dear  mother,  is  it  right  ? — 
'  LINA.' " 

"  Quite  right,"  said  the  mother. 

The  child  joyously  exclaimed  :  "  Oh,  how  nice !  how 
nice  !  Now  I  will  lay  and  write  '  father '  and  '  mother  ' 
and  '  uncle ' ;  and  *  dear  father  '  and  '  dear  mother  '  and 
'  dear  uncle.'  Then  I  can  certainly  send  a  letter  to 
father." 

"  Gently,  gently,  my  child  ;  one  thing  at  a  time.  Your 
desire  shall  soon  be  granted,  but  do  not  be  in  too  great  a 
hurry." 

You,  dear  children,  may  imagine  that  this  new  ad- 
vance in  ability  was  gladly  made  known  to  Lina's  uncle, 
who  had  not  gone  away  with  her  father,  and  that  he  took 
a  great  interest  in  it ;  and  he  thought  to  himself,  "  Lina 
is  so  diligent,  and  gives  her  father  and  mother  and  me  so 
much  pleasure,  that  I  must  give  her  a  pleasure  the  next 
time  I  come."    And  as  he  thought,  so  he  did  the  next  day. 

"  Mother,"  said  Lina,  when  the  hour  for  employment 
brought  them  together  again,  "  let  me  to-day  at  least  try 
to  write  a  little  letter  to  father  on  the  slate ;  then,  when  I 
write  a  letter  on  paper,  some  time,  it  will  be  easier." 

"  Well,"  said  her  mother,  "  we  can  try,  even  if  we  do 
not  succeed." 

22  ^ 


300        PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

"  Oh,  with  your  help,  mother,  it  will  go  beautifully," 
said  Lina  joyously. 

"  But  what  will  you  write  ?  "  asked  her  mother. 

Lina  thought  for  a  short  time,  and  then  said,  "Dear 
father,  please  come  home  again  soon." 

"  Stop  a  moment,"  said  her  mother ;  "  we  will  first  see 
if  we  can  write  all  this.  The  first  two  words  you  can 
easily  manage."  These  words  were  soon  placed  on  Lina's 
slate.  The  other  words  were  slowly  spoken  (one  at  a 
time),  the  letters  for  each  word  fixed  upon,  and  after  a 
short  time  the  following  stood  as  a  letter  upon  the  slate : 

"LIEBER  VATER,  KOMME  DOCH  BALD 
WIEDER." 

"  Is  the  letter  finished  ?  "  asked  Lina's  mother. 

"  Oh,  no ;  I  must  tell  father  that  I  can  now  write  on 
the  slate." 

And  soon,  with  the  mother's  help,  there  appeared  upon 
the  slate — 

"10^   KANN   SCHON   AUF  DIE   TAFEL 
SCHREIBEN." 

"  Now  the  letter  is  done,"  said  Lina. 

"  Oh,  no,"  replied  the  mother,  "  there  is  something  still 
wanting.  I  told  you,  when  we  began  the  laying  of  words 
with  your  name,  what  is  required  in  every  letter." 

Then,  after  a  few  moments'  thought,  the  little  girl 
said :  "  You  said,  whoever  wrote  a  letter  must  also  write 
his  name  underneath  it.     I  will  do  that  too." 

"DEINE    LINA" 
she  wrote  below  the  letter,  and  said,  "  has  written  this 
letter  to  you." 

She  had  just  finished,  and  had  shown  the  letter  to  her 


HOW  UNA  LEARNED   TO  WRITE  AND   READ.    301 

mother,  who  was  satisfied  with  it,  when  her  uncle  came 
into  the  room.  Lina  sprang  from  her  chair,  caught  up 
her  slate,  ran  to  her  uncle,  and  held  it  out  to  him  in 
joyous  expectation. 

"  Ah,  what  do  I  read  ?  "  said  her  astonished  uncle. 
"  A  letter  to  your  father  already  ?  That  is  well,  my  dear 
Lina ;  your  father  will  be  pleased."  In  a  lower  tone  he 
added  :  "  But  the  slate  letter  will  cost  a  good  deal  of  post- 
age. I  am  afraid  it  will  be  broken  before  it  reaches  your 
father." 

In  a  sorrowful  tone  Lina  replied  :  "  I  have  asked 
mother  for  paper ;  but  she  thought  I  ought  first  to  try  to 
write  with  the  pencil  on  the  slate,  and  so  this  letter  is 
only  a  trial." 

"  Only  wait,"  said  the  mother  consolingly  to  Lina ; 
"we  will  let  the  letter  stand  on  the  slate,  and,  as  you 
have  done  very  well  for  the  first  attempt,  I  will  to-morrow 
morning  bring  some  cross-lined  paper  and  a  lead  pencil 
with  me  from  the  city,  and  then  we  will  copy  the  letter  to 
your  father  and  actually  send  it." 

Then  the  uncle  laughed  pleasantly,  and  said,  while  he 
took  something  wrapped  in  gay  paper  from  the  breast- 
pocket of  his  coat,  "  Well,  the  first  is  already  provided." 
He  unrolled  before  the  child  a  sheet  of  paper  ruled  with 
cross-lines,  and  laid  a  colored  pencil  beside  it. 

Greatly  surprised,  Lina  stood  by  the  table,  and  looked 
with  delight  at  that  which  lay  before  her,  and  then  at  her 
uncle,  who  said  :  "  That  is  yours,  Lina.  To-morrow  you 
can  write  your  letter  with  the  pencil  on  the  paper  to  your 
father." 

"  I  call  that  being  an  uncle  indeed,"  said  the  mother, 
"who  can  guess  people's  thoughts.  I  wish  I  also  had 
such  a  good,  dear  uncle." 


302         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

"  Ah,"  said  he,  "  the  wishes  of  grown  people  can  be 
guessed,  but  not  so  easily  granted  as  those  of  children." 

This  was  the  first  really  cheerful  noon  they  had  passed 
since  Lina's  father  went  away  ;  for  he  lived  always  in  the 
remembrance  of  the  happy  little  circle. 
^  The  next  day  it  was  Lina's  first  object  to  copy  care- 
fully on  the  beautiful  paper,  and  with  the  gay-colored 
pencil  which  her  uncle  had  given  her,  the  letter  to  her 
father. 

The  letter  was  actually  sent  off  by  the  next  post,  to  the 
great  delight  of  the  child. 

"  Oh,"  said  Lina  to  her  mother  questioningly,  "  will 
my  dear  father  write  me  a  letter,  as  he  does  to  other  peo- 
ple when  he  gets  letters  from  them  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,  and  so  I  can  not  tell  you.  Your 
father  has  a  great  deal  of  business  to  do  on  his  journey, 
and  we  must  wait  and  see  what  he  will  do." 

Anxiously  the  child  now  looked  forward  to  each  fresh 
post-day  and  each  approaching  letter-carrier.  At  last  the 
carrier  came,  and  brought  a  letter  to  Lina's  mother.  It 
was  actually  from  her  father.  Lina  knew  it  immediately 
from  the  seal  and  writing.  Full  of  expectation  that  there 
might  be  something  in  it  for  her,  she  stood  by  her  mother 
as  the  latter  opened  the  letter. 

And,  to  her  great  delight,  Lina  noticed  that  the  mother 
took  out  a  folded  paper  and  held  it  between  her  fingers. 
She  waited  silently  till  her  mother  should  have  finished 
reading  her  letter.  Then  the  mother  turned  to  the  child, 
and  said  :  "  Your  father  sends  you  kind  greetings,  and 
thanks  for  your  little  letter.  He  sends  you  one  also ;  you 
may  try  to  read  it,  in  order  to  find  in  it  whether  your 
father  has  read  your  letter,  and  has  understood  what  you 
wrote  in  it." 


HOW  LINA  LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND  READ.   303 

With  these  words  the  mother  gave  Lina  the  folded 
page  which  she  had  till  then  held ;  it  was  the  father's  an- 
swer to  the  little  girl.  Joyfully  and  gratefully  she  received 
it  from  the  hand  of  her  loving  mother,  who  was  thus  de- 
veloping the  child's  inner  nature  in  the  apparent  fostering 
of  outward  life. 

Happy  over  this  unexpected  gift,  the  child  went  with 
it  to  the  window,  and  after  she  had  looked  into  the  dear 
sheet,  thinking  and  comparing,  separating  and  uniting, 
showing  this  by  the  quick  motion  of  her  eyes,  she  cried 
gayly  to  her  mother,  holding  up  the  sheet  to  her  : 

"  Mother,  I  can  read  father's  letter  ! " 

"  Well,  my  child,"  replied  her  mother,  "  come  here  and 
read  it  aloud  to  me."  (The  father's  letter  was  written  in 
the  same  way  as  Lina's,  with  Eoman  capital  letters,  or, 
in  other  words,  with  simple  straight  and  curved  lines,  but 
without  a  network.) 

"LIEBE   LINA: 

"  DEIN  BRIEFCHEN  HAT  MIR  VIEL  FREUDE 
GEMACHT,  ABER  KOMMEN  KANN  ICH  JETZT 
NOCH  NIGHT,  W^ARUM?— WIRD  DIR  DIE  LIEBE 
MUTTER  SAGEN.  MIR  DAGEGEN  MACHE  DIE 
FREUDE  UND   SCHREIBE   RECHT   BALD  WIE- 


DER. 


"  DEIN  DICH  LIEBENDER  VATER." 

"  That  I  will,"  said  the  little  girl,  made  glad  by  her 

*  Dear  Lina :  Your  little  letter  has  given  me  great  pleasure ; 
but  I  can  not  return  home  just  yet.  Your  mother  will  tell  you  the 
reason  why.  So  you  must  write  me  again  very  soon  and  give  me  a 
new  pleasure.     From  your  loving  fa^er. 


304         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

father's  letter.  "  But  tell  me,  dear  mother,  why  does  father 
not  come  home  now?  He  promised  so  certainly,  when 
he  went  away,  to  come  back  again  very  soon,  and  now  he 
has  been  away  so  long." 

"  Your  good  father  has  not  been  away  so  very  long," 
said  the  kind  mother,  "  only  the  time  till  his  return  seems 
long  to  you.  But  I  confess  that  I  am  glad  of  this ;  for 
your  wanting  your  father  so  much  is  a  proof  to  me  of  your 
love  for  him." 

"  Oh,  yes,  dear,  good  mother,  I  love  you  indeed  very 
much,  and  am  glad  to  be  with  you  ;  but  I  love  father 
also,  and  wish  he  may  come  back  soon." 

"  As  I  have  already  told  you,  I  am  very  glad  of  it ;  but 
we  must  be  patient  for  some  time  longer  before  he  can 
come." 

"  But  do  tell  me  why,  dear  mother." 

"  Have  you  not  often  heard  your  father  say,  when  he 
went  away  :  '  I  have  a  great  deal  of  business  to  do  to-day ; 
eat  your  dinner  without  waiting  for  me  '?  That  was  not 
agreeable  to  us;  but  when  later  your  father  came  back, 
and  met  us  with  such  glad  looks  because  he  had  success- 
fully completed  his  business,  his  return  brought  us  double 
pleasure.  You  see,  dear  Lina,  he  has  business  now  also 
which  he  would  like  to  finish  successfully  for  the  pleasure 
of  us  all.  But  now  we  too  will  do  something,  my  dear 
child,  so  that  we  on  our  side  may  give  pleasure  to  your 
dear  father  on  his  return." 

"  Oh,  yes,  dear,  good  mother ;  tell  me  what  I  shall 
do." 

"  That  is  easy.  Your  father  wishes  to  have  another 
letter  from  you,  and  says  it  will  give  him  pleasure  to  re- 
ceive one.  This  wish  of  your  dear  father  you  can  easily 
grant  if  you  choose." 


HOW  LINA  LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND   READ.    305 

"  0  best  mother,  only  tell  me  when  you  write  again 
to  father,  so  that  I  may  inclose  a  little  letter." 

"  J.  shall  write  again  in  a  few  days,  for  your  father,  in 
his  love  for  us  all,  will  be  very  glad  to  have  news  of  us 
soon,  and  to  be  certain  that  all  is  well  with  us.  Now,  till 
I  write  again,  take  great  pains  with  your  writing,  so  that 
your  father  may  find  an  improvement  in  your  letter." 

"  That  I  certainly  will,"  said  the  little  girl  to  her 
mother  quietly,  but  with  self-confidence  that  was  rooted 
in  a  firm  will,  and  which  greatly  delighted  her  mother. 

After  this,  all  Lina's  activity  had  a  quite  peculiar  ex- 
pression of  earnestness  and  of  joyousness  and  inward  hap- 
piness. 

With  the  next  letter  the  regular  correspondence  be- 
tween father  and  daughter  began.  The  wish  of  the  absent 
father  to  obtain  information  of  the  health  and  life  of  the 
family  he  had  left  behind  gave  almost  more  material  for 
the  little  letters  than  their  writer  could  manage,  and  so 
they  had  a  developing  influence  on  the  dear  little  girl's 
capacity,  knowledge,  and  power;  but  the  certainty  that 
her  letters  pleased  her  father  (as  each  succeeding  answer 
from  him  expressed  in  ever-new  ways)  increased  Lina's 
diligence,  and  with  its  growth  her  courage  also  grew ; 
with  the  growth  of  both,  her  perseverance  also  grew,  and 
so  in  turn  grew  the  comparatively  greater  completeness  of 
the  little  girl's  results.  She  deeply  experienced  the  truth 
of  the  words  of  our  poet,  without  knowing  anything  of 
them  or  of  him  : 

"  Joy,  joy  drives  the  wheels  in  the  great  clock  of  the  world." 

But  her  mother  and  uncle  knew  the  words  and  the 
poet,  as  well  as  the  truth,  and  so  they  fostered  and 
strengthened,  by  little  gifts,  the  child's  capacity,  will,  and 
power  of  action,  and,  above  alL  the  results  of  these  three. 


306         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

Thus  the  father's  desire  to  please  the  dear  child  was 
also  increased. — But  what  delights  a  child  more,  what 
gives  it  more  pleasure,  than  to  have  a  book  of  its  own  ?  It 
understands  as  yet  nothing  at  all  of  the  contents,  but,  not- 
withstanding, sits  in  a  corner  of  the  room  with  the  book 
turned  upside  down,  and  imagines,  strangely  enough — de- 
ceiving itself — that  it  finds  and  reads  in  the  book  that 
which  springs  out  of  its  own  inner  being  in  its  uncon- 
scious striving  after  development. 

This  experience,  or  remark,  which  may  have  been  re- 
called to  his  mind,  determined  the  loving  father,  who  felt 
actually  grateful  to  his  little  daughter,  and  also  wished  to 
encourage  her  (since  his  absence  was  to  be  longer  than  he 
himself  had  expected),  to  send  home  with  the  next  letter 
a  Story  and  Picture  Book  for  Children,  which  he  had  met 
with  in  the  family  of  one  of  his  friends,  and  had  found  to 
be  developing  and  instructive,  and  at  the  same  time  pleas- 
ing, and  which  had  been  particularly  recommended  to 
him  in  this  respect  by  his  friend. 

The  eyes  of  the  astonished  little  girl  shone  with  joy 
and  surprise  when  her  dear  father's  book  and  the  accom- 
panying letter  came  forth  from  the  sealed  wrapper,  and 
were  handed  to  her  by  her  mother  with  the  following 
words :  "  See,  my  child,  your  father  sends  you  this.  Be- 
cause your  little  letter  gave  him  pleasure,  he  wishes  to 
give  you  pleasure  also." 

Yes,  with  a  joyous  and  happy  heart,  Lina  went  to  the 
nearest  window — now  reading  her  dear  father's  letter, 
now  looking  at  the  pretty  book  and  turning  over  its 
leaves. 

As  usual,  the  sympathizing  uncle  entered  the  room  (it 
was  just  the  dinner  hour),  and  with  great  delight  Lina  ran 
toward  him,  arms  and  hands  stretched  out  holding  the 


HOW  LINA  LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND  READ.    307 

beautiful  gift.  "  Only  see,  uncle,  what  papa  sent  me  ! " 
And  then  she  drew  him  to  the  table,  where,  after  a  slight 
glance  at  the  book,  he  explained  the  pictures  to  her. 

The  midday  meal  (which  had  to-day  been  a  festival) 
passed  pleasantly,  and  a  part  of  the  afternoon  was  glad- 
dened in  the  little  circle  by  giving,  receiving,  and  sharing 
happiness,  to  which  the  invisible  but  faithful  thought  of 
the  absent  father  gave  a  peculiarly  spiritual  character. 

But  now,  called  away  by  his  business,  the  kind  uncle 
had  to  leave  the  happy  circle.  The  mother,  drawn  away 
by  domestic  cares,  had  also  left  the  room,  and  Lina  found 
herself  alone  with  her  new  companion — her  book.  She 
devoted  herself  wholly  to  looking  at  the  pictures.  At  first 
she  tried  to  recall,  as  she  looked  at  them,  what  her  uncle 
had  said  to  her  about  them,  and  then  she  added  to  this 
what  she  could  discover  herself.  But  after  some  time  she 
had  come  to  an  end  of  this  also,  and  now  she  stood 
thoughtfully  with  the  book  in  hand.  Anticipation  and  ex- 
perience within  the  circle  of  her  surroundings,  especially 
of  the  life  and  actions  of  her  mother,  said  to  her — "  If  I 
knew  the  printed  letters  here,  and  could  read  what  is  said 
by  means  of  them,  then  the  book  could  tell  me  its  beauti- 
ful little  stories."  Eagerly  she  tried  to  find  a  resemblance 
between  the  letters  written  by  her  with  simple  straight  and 
simple  curved  lines  and  those  printed  here,  and  she  actu- 
ally succeeded  in  bringing  out  certain  similarities  here 
and  there,  especially  with  the  capital  letters.  However, 
they  were  not  so  clear  that  she  could  with  certainty  recog- 
nize her  written  letters  in  the  printed  ones. 

So,  in  wishing,  anticipating,  seeking,  and  hoping,  time 
had  passed  and  the  twilight  hour  had  come.  For  her 
dear  mother — taught  by  her  own  experience  in  childhood 
and  youth— had,  as  we  shall  later  see,  with  good  foresight 


308         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

— that  is,  with  a  true  fostering  sense  of  educating  by  de- 
veloping, and  with  a  view  to  the  welfare  of  the  child — ^^left 
her  alone  with  her  book  ;  and,  though  separate  and  absent 
from  the  child,  she  nevertheless  knew  well  what  thoughts 
were  stirring  in  her  during  this  time.  Now  the  mother, 
whose  presence  Lina  had  so  long  desired,  entered  the 
room.  Lina  went  to  her  at  once,  saying,  in  a  mournful 
voice,  "  0  dear  mother,  I  can  read  father's  letter,  which 
is  written ;  I  wish  I  could  also  read  the  book,  which  is 
printed ;  but  the  letters  in  the  book  are  so  different  from 
those  which  father  and  I  have  written,  and  which  you 
have  taught  me  !  " 

"  They  are  not  so  entirely  different,  my  child.  If  you 
are  only  earnest  in  learning  to  know  the  printed  letters, 
you  will  soon  find  that  there  is  but  a  very  slight  differ- 
ence between  the  two,  and  such  as  you  can  easily  see  and 
remember.  And  so  you  will  soon  find  the  likeness  be- 
tween the  two  kinds  of  letters — that  is,  between  those  you 
have  written  and  which  your  kind  father  used  in  his  letter 
to  you,  and  the  printed  letters  in  the  book." 

"  Yes,  dear  mother,  it  seems  so  to  me  in  regard  to  a 
few  of  the  letters ;  but  there  are  so  many  lines  that  curve 
like  a  snake,  and  I  do  not  at  all  know  where  they  come 
from,  what  they  mean,  and  what  I  am  to  make  of  them." 

"  My  child,  you  shall  very  soon  see  how  the  simple, 
straight,  and  curved  lines  are  connected  with  the  winding 
or  snake  lines  (oq  S),  so  that  not  the  smallest  line  of  the 
latter  is  superfluous  or  accidental.  You  will  then  easily 
find  your  written  letters  again  in  those  in  which  your 
book  is  printed." 

"  Do,  do,  dear  mother,  show  it  to  me  now  ! " 

"  Well,  you  have  already  told  me  that  you  found  a 
likeness  between  some  of  the  letters  which  you  have  until 


HOW  LINA  LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND  READ.    309 

now  used  and  those  printed  in  the  book,  although  you 
could  not  make  quite  clear  their  complete  agreement. 
Now,  show  me  these  letters  in  your  father's  letter,  and  in 
your  book." 

The  child  then  pointed  out  the  letters  D  and  D,  B  and 
33,  and  several  others.* 

"  You  are  quite  right,"  said  her  mother.  "  The  like- 
ness between  the  letters  you  have  used  and  those  with 
which  your  book  is  printed  appears  at  first  generally  in  the 
so-called  large  letters,  but  mostly  in  those  you  have  just 
pointed  out.  But  it  is  too  dark  to  be  able  to  further  indi- 
cate to  you  the  likeness — indeed,  the  agreement — between 
each  two  of  the  letters  you  pointed  out,  and  it  is  not  yet 
dark  enough  to  have  lights ;  let  me,  then,  as  my  house- 
keeping is  done  and  1  have  time  to  chat  an  hour  with 
you,  first  tell  you  a  little  story ;  and  then,  when  the  light 
comes,  show  you  the  agreement  between  the  letters." 

"  Yes,  tell  me  a  story,  dear  mother.  Here  is  a  chair ; 
sit  down." 

"  You  know  that  you  played  with  your  doll,  and  talked 
with  your  father,  your  uncle,  and  with  me  before  you  could 
write,  even  before  you  knew  anything  about  writing.  So 
also  the  people  who  lived  on  the  earth  a  long,  long  time 
ago,  surrounded  by  objects,  talked  to  them,  but  especially 
with  one  another,  just  as  you  also  have  done  at  times; 
they  even  talked  to  themselves  before  they  could  write, 
before  they  knew  anything  about  writing,  before  writing 
was  found  out. 

"  But  now  what  is  writing,  and  being  able  to  write  ? 
Just  think  about  it.  Judge  by  your  own  observation  and 
experience  whether  I  am  right,  when  I  say  that  writing  is 

*  English  letters  do  not  present  this  difficulty. — Tr. 
S 


310         PEDAGOGICS  OP  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

the  joining  of  the  sound  that  we  hear  and  which  passes 
away,  with  a  silent  and  still  sign  which  is  permanent ;  or 
putting  the  picture  or  sign  which  is  permanent  in  the 
place  of  sound  which  is  transient,  vanishing." 

"  That  I  understand  very  well,"  said  Lina ;  "  that  is 
just  the  way  we  did  when  you  taught  me  to  first  speak 
my  name  correctly,  and  the  dear,  dear  words  '  mother '  and 
'father,'  and  then  to  lay  them  with  silent  sticks,  point 
them  out,  and  at  last  write  them." 

"  You  are  quite  right,  my  Lina ;  and  here  you  can  im- 
mediately remark  this  great  fact  of  life :  that  one  under- 
stands everything  which  is  said  and  taught,  or  even  told, 
much  better  if  one  has  already  experienced  it,  although 
perhaps  in  a  different  way  in  one's  own  life — that  is,  in 
outward  action  and  inner  observation.  Try,  therefore, 
my  child,  to  notice  your  own  actions  and  the  actions  of 
others,  and  to  gather  for  yourself  many  kinds  of  expe- 
riences, even  now  in  your  happy  child-life.  You  will  in 
that  way  much  better  understand  what  you  meet  with, 
what  you  see  and  hear,  which  you  will  now  prove  to 
yourself. 

"  I  will  go  on  with  my  story.  They  say  that  when 
men  could  not  yet  write — that  is,  had  no  fixed,  exact,  mute 
signs  for  the  single  open  and  close  sounds  of  the  words 
by  which  an  absent  one  could  again  make  audible  what 
was  spoken,  or  the  writer  recall  what  was  thought — then 
a  shepherd,  who  had  pastured  his  sheep  on  a  grassy  island, 
invented  writing.  It  is  also  said  that  the  shepherds  dis- 
covered many  things — for  instance,  the  observation  and 
knowledge  of  the  glorious,  starry  heavens,  raising  the 
heart,  and  so  lifting  man's  feeling  to  God,  the  giver  of 
all  good.  In  the  starry  sky  they  perceived  the  signs  of 
language  for  praising  and  thanking  God.     You  see,  my 


HOW  LlxNA  LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND  READ.    311 

child,  it  was  a  shepherd  who  was  to  find  out  how  to  write 
with  letters.  We  can  both  now  explain,  by  our  own  ex- 
perience of  life,  why  the  finding  out  and  invention  of  so 
many  excellent  things  is  ascribed  to  the  shepherds ;  we 
can  appreciate  the  truth  of  it.  Did  we  not,  when  we  last 
wandered  on  the  hillside,  see  how  the  careful  shepherd 
always  kept  the  flock  as  a  whole  in  view,  and  looked  upon 
each  individual  sheep — even  the  smallest  lamb — as  an  es- 
sential part  of  this  whole? — and  so  always  in  reference  to 
the  whole,  and  to  the  aim  and  object  of  the  whole,  the 
fostering  of  life.  Thus,  you  see,  a  genuine  shepherd,  gath- 
ering his  flock  unto  himself,  learns  to  look  upon  others 
(e.  g.,  the  hunter  or  fisherman)  as  seemingly  separate  but 
in  truth  related  to  one  great  whole ;  indeed,  related  to  the 
fundamental  unity  back  of  all  things.  Thus  it  was  with 
the  lonely  shepherd  in  a  foreign  country  many,  many 
years  ago.  He  talked  for  himself  and  with  himself ;  he 
heard  himself ;  he  spoke  perhaps  at  first  the  name  of  a 
dear  absent  one,  as  the  name  of  your  father  is  now  es- 
pecially dear  to  you.  This  name  sounded  perhaps  in  his 
heart ;  perhaps  the  echo  repeated  it.  And  so  his  thought- 
ful mind  and  reflective  intellect  easily  observed  the  differ- 
ent voice-sounds,  and  the  different  open  sounds  in  the  be- 
loved word,  as  we  did  in  the  dear  names  of  Lina,  mother, 
father. 

"  Now  we  have  ourselves,  as  you  know,  in  our  frequent 
ramblings  seen  thoughtful  and  active  shepherds  with  their 
crooks  dig  out  the  turf  at  their  feet  into  figures  express- 
ing their  thoughts,  while  their  flocks  grazed  or  lay  down 
around  them.  The  thoughtful  shepherd  in  our  story  may 
have  sought  some  sign  that  he  could  see  by  which  to  rep- 
resent what  was  speaking  within  him,  and  what  he  saw 
around  him ;  and  the  obedient  hand  may  have  indicated 


312         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

on  the  level  ground,  may  even  have  marked  upon  it,  as  it 
were,  involuntarily,  that  which  his  mind  sought  for  and 
possibly  perceived  in  the  movements  of  the  mouth  when 
speaking  aloud ;  for  we  have  observed  elsewhere  that  the 
inner  activity  of  thought  and  the  outer  creative  activity 
of  the  hand  stand  in  unconscious  relationship  to  each 
other,  react  upon  each  other,  and  often  in  their  united 
action  seem  to  flow  into  each  other  and  to  be  as  one. 
Thus  the  individual  absorbed  in  thought,  holding  some 
long  object  in  his  hand — i.  e.,  a  stick — and  unconscious 
of  all  about  him,  involuntarily  draws  something  with  this 
stick,  makes  impressions  on  the  ground  spread  before 
him.  These  signs  and  figures  thus  traced  are  in  the  main 
straight  or  simple  curved  lines,  because  of  the  manner  in 
which  they  were  produced.  They  may  also  owe  their 
origin  to  the  different  positions  of  the  mouth  necessary 
in  uttering  the  sounds ;  for  you  will  remember  how  we  ob- 
served the  various  positions  of  the  mouth  in  connection 
with  the  sounds  i,  o,  and  a,  when  I  taught  you  how  to 
write.  And  su  we  may  readily  understand,  my  child,  as 
we  remarked  before,  how  writing  and  the  alphabet  may 
have  been  invented  by  a  shepherd  in  a  far-away  country 
thousands  of  years  ago ;  and  that  these  traveled  from  that 
country  through  all  these  many,  many  years,  and  finally 
reached  us,  came  to  me,  and  through  me  to  you  ;  but  they 
must  have  been  much  changed  in  the  course  of  these 
wanderings  through  many  countries  and  among  many 
peoples  these  many,  many  years. 

"  Therefore  regard  shepherds  with  respect  whenever 
you  meet  them ;  think  at  least,  at  such  times,  how  one's 
solitary  hours  can  be  made  useful  by  thoughtful  observation 
of  what  is  nearest — as  in  this  case  the  shepherd's  speaking 
with  himself — and  how  we  can  thus  discover  what  may  be 


HOW  LINA  LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND  READ.   313 

of  great  benefit  to  children  as  well  as  to  grown  people, 
and  give  pleasure  through  endless  years.  Only  think  of 
the  writing  which  even  now  gave  you  so  much  pleasure, 
and  of  the  reading  which  will  soon  no  less  delight  you. 
Think,  therefore,  as  often  as  you  write,  or  will  hereafter 
read,  that  you  should  always  employ  your  time  well  even 
when  you  are  alone,  like  the  shepherd  who  invented  writ- 
ing and  the  alphabet,  and  by  their  means  taught  reading. 
But  now  it  has  become  quite  dark  without  our  noticing 
it.  Go  now,  Lina,  and  get  the  light ;  we  will  employ  the 
rest  of  the  time,  since  I  have  nothing  more  in  particular 
to  do  to-day,  in  teaching  you  what  you  wish  and  need  for 
the  understanding  and  reading  of  your  book — namely,  the 
correspondence  between  written  letters  and  the  printed 
letters  of  your  book." 

With  a  deep,  long-drawn  breath,  which  told  that  what 
she  had  heard  had  awakened  in  her  mind  many  things 
before  unfamiliar,  the  thoughtful  child  went  to  do  what 
her  mother  had  bid  her. 

The  light,  when  brought,  altered  the  whole  scene,  and 
also  Lina's  whole  frame  of  mind.  Joyously  she  entered 
the  room  with  the  light,  and  scarcely  had  she  placed  it  on 
the  table  before  she  ran  to  get  her  dear  book,  which  was 
to  bring  her  so  much  pleasure. 

"  Come,  sit  down,  dear  mother ;  here  is  the  book.  Now 
teach  me  to  know  the  letters  in  it." 

"  Willingly,  my  dear  child ;  but  you  must  also  take 
one  of  your  dear  father's  letters  as  a  help.  You  have  al- 
ready rejoiced  over  the  greater  neatness,  exactness,  and 
completeness  with  which  his  letters  were  written  in  com- 
parison with  yours.  We  now  need  these  more  perfect 
letters  for  satisfactory  comparison. 

"  Now  take  the  I  in  your  father's  letter  and  observe 

\ 


314         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

the  printed  3  in  your  book,  and  compare  them.  What  do 
you  find  ?  " 

"  There,  nothing  but  straight  lines  ;  here,  nothing  but 
wound  or  twisted  lines ;  there,  a  long,  large,  vertical  line ; 
here,  a  large  line  wound  in  a  vertical  direction ;  there,  two 
smaller  parallel  horizontal  lines ;  here,  in  a  horizontal  po- 
sition, two  winding  spiral  lines  almost  parallel  in  their 
windings.  So  the  two  horizontal  parallel  straight  lines 
in  the  written  I  are  almost  opposite  to,  yet  like,  the  par- 
allel spiral  lines  in  horizontal  position,  with  only  the 
little  difference  that  each  of  the  two  straight  parallel 
lines  goes  beyond  the  vertical  line  on  both  sides,  but  the 
parallel  bent  lines  stretch  out  wholly  on  the  left  side." 

"  Then  what  do  you  find,  dear  Lina,  when  you  com- 
pare the  two  letters  I  and  3  ?  " 

"  That  the  two  are  like  one  another,  but  with  the  dif- 
ference that  the  lines  of  the  first  are  straight,  and  those 
of  the  second  curved." 

"  Now  let  us  look  at  the  two  Fs.  What  do  you  find 
there?" 

"  I  find  almost  all  that  I  did  before ;  only  here  the 
upper  horizontal  curved  line  of  the  ^  stretches  on  both 
sides  beyond  the  vertical  curved  line,  and  that  the  lower 
horizontal  line  of  the  I — which  also  lies  in  a  horizontal 
direction  in  the  3 — has  curved  upward  further  in  the  F. 
So  that  thus  both  letters  F  and  5,  except  these  two  little 
differences,  are  again  quite  like  one  another." 

"  Quite  right,  my  Lina.  Now  compare  once  more,  after 
what  you  have  already  found  out,  the  two  letters  L  and  2, 
and  tell  me  what  their  comparison  shows  you." 

"  As  F  and  L  are  alike — only  reversed — so  that  the  line 
which  is  above  in  the  F  is  below  in  the  L,  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  what  is  below  in  the  F  is  above  in  the  L,  and 


HOW  LINA  LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND  READ.   315 

that  the  L  has.  not  the  triangle  in  the  middle  which  points 
out  the  F,  so  also  in  an  equal  degree  %  and  S  turned 
round  are  like  one  another  except  the  small  hook  "  (in 
the  g). 

"  Now  we  will  repeat  them  all,  comparing  them  with 
one  another.  Now,  my  child,  do  the  thrice  different  letter- 
forms  show  you  something  alike  in  each  kind,  yet  differ- 
ent in  the  two  kinds,  and  yet  again  a  resemblance  in  this 
difference  ?  " 

"  Yes,  my  dear,  good  mother,  the  same  we  spoke  of 
before  :  that  where  the  first  kind  of  letters  always  has 
straight  lines,  the  lines  of  the  second  kind  are  always 
winding,  and  at  times  there  are  slight  changes  in  the  po- 
sition. But  do  you  know,  mother,  in  what  the  likeness 
is  very  close  ?  It  is  in  the  letters  T  and  Z ;  what  is 
straight  in  the  first  is  simply  crooked  in  the  second." 

"  Very  good,  my  Lina.  But  you  have  already  told  me 
this  afternoon  that  you  found  a  likeness  between  the  let- 
ters B  and  33.     What  is  it?" 

"  Ah,  dear  mother,  you  see  that  better  than  I  do,  and 
can  also  say  it  much  better.  The  first  likeness  is,  that 
what  is  straight  in  the  B  is  again  bent  in  the  S3  ;  only 
that  in  the  former  letter  the  main  line,  which  is  straight 
in  B,  forms  in  the  33  not  a  double  curve,  but  only  a  simple 
bent  line  ;  and  what  in  the  B  are  mere  circular  lines,  are 
in  the  S3  differently  curved  lines ;  also  the  apper  small 
horizontal  line  in  the  B  forms  a  downward  curve  in  the 
33 ;  but  the  lower  horizontal  line  is  according  to  the  prin- 
ciple of  the  J,  a  twisted  curve." 

"  Since  you  found  this  agreement,  it  will  be  easy  for 
you  to  find  that  between  R  and  91,  K  and  ^." 

"  Yes,  quite  easy ;  looking  at  the  33  and  3  teaches 

that." 

23  \ 


316         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

"  Now,  for  to-day  that  will  be  enough.  To-morrow,  if 
I  have  time,  we  will  go  on.  Till  then,  can  you  try  with 
your  father's  letter  by  your  side  to  find  the  rest  of  the 
large  letters  in  your  book,  and  learn  to  know  them  ?  The 
more  of  these  you  learn  the  more  I  shall  be  pleased,  and 
your  uncle  will  certainly  be  glad,  too,  when  he  comes  at 
noon.     Now  I  will  get  supper  ready." 

As  Lina  had  gone  to  bed  the  night  before  thinking  of 
her  book,  she  rose  the  next  morning  with  the  thought  of 
the  dear  letters  in  it,  and  of  her  mother's  wish  that  she 
should  find  out  the  rest  of  the  large  letters  in  the  book. 

Lina  had  been  brought  up  until  now  in  all-sided  life- 
union,  without  anticipating  it,  still  less  actually  knowing 
it,  and  still  less  being  able  to  designate  it  by  a  precise 
word,  but  showing  it  in  life,  in  action,  in  feeling,  and  in 
mind;  and  so  also  the  careful  mother  had  fostered  in 
the  thoughtful,  intellectual  child  the  gradual  anticipation, 
which  was  scarcely  yet  an  impulse,  quietly  to  pray  to  Him 
who  is  the  giver  of  all  good  which  we  receive  and  enjoy, 
for  the  things  which  she  desired  for  her  parents,  her 
absent  father  especially,  and  all  other  dear  ones ;  and  so, 
as  she  remembered  what  her  mother  had  said  yesterday 
evening  at  the  end  of  their  talk,  unconsciously  to  herself, 
and  in  scarcely  audible  childish  words,  the  wish  of  her 
heart  uttered  itself :  "  Thou  who  givest  all  good,  grant  to 
me  also  to-day  that  I  may  give  mother  and  uncle  the 
TDleasure  which  they  expect  from  me." 

Cheerfully  and  quickly  Lina's  dressing  was  done.  The 
love  of  the  earnest,  fostering  mother  had  led  the  child  on 
in  the  one  day,  so  that  each  day  was  to  her  a  valuable  gift 
which  pointed  to  an  invisible  fount  of  blessing. 

The  simple  but  wholesome  breakfast  had  been  cheer 
fully  eaten,  and  the  child  hastened  to  draw  forth  her  dear 


HOW  LINA  LEARNED  TO   WRITE  AND  READ.    317 

book,  in  order,  first  of  all  where  it  was  possible,  to  examine 
the  yet  remaining  large  letters  in  it. 

By  degrees,  and  with  a  great  deal  of  comparison,  she 
succeeded  in  her  attempt,  and  recognized  the  U  in  the  U, 
the  f  in  P,  the  D  in  0,  the  D  in  D,  the  @  in  S,  the  31  in 
A,  the  ^  in  H,  the  m  in  M,  the  5^  in  N,  the  2B  in  W,  the 
35  in  V,  the  d  in  C,  the  ®  in  G  ;  finally,  the  3  in  Z. 

So  it  was  not  yet  quite  noon  when  Lina  could  show  in 
her  book  all  the  letters  her  father  had  used. 

Her  mother  was  still  employed  in  domestic  matters, 
and  had  not  yet  been  able  to  come  back  into  the  family 
room.  But  Lina  could  not  wait ;  she  had  to  find  her  in 
the  house,  and  in  the  midst  of  her  business  to  say  that  to 
her  great  joy  she  could  now  point  out,  in  the  capital  let- 
ters of  her  dear  book,  the  letters  which  she  and  her  father 
had  used. 

"  I  will  come  to  our  room  soon,"  said  her  mother,  shar- 
ing the  joy  of  her  child. 

"  But  if  uncle  would  only  come,  so  that  I  could  show 
it  to  him  too  !  For  he  certainly  does  not  know  or  believe 
that  I  know  already  the  large  letters  in  dear  father's  beau- 
tiful book.  If  he  only  would  come !  He  stays  away  so 
yery  long  to-day." 

"  The  stay  is  no  longer  than  usual,"  soothingly  replied 
her  mother.     "  He  is  sure  to  come,  only  wait  quietly." 

And  he  came,  this  much-desired  uncle.  How  Lina's 
eyes  beamed  as  she  joyously  held  out  to  him  her  father's 
present,  and  could  tell  him  of  the  advance  she  had  made 
since  yesterday  !  Her  uncle  heartily  shared  her  well-earned 
delight,  which  he  increased  yet  more  by  letting  her  find 
the  same  letters  on  different  pages,  and  very  many  differ- 
ent letters  on  the  same  page. 

Then,  at  last,  Lina's  mother  joined  the  happy  pair. 


318         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

She  fully  shared  in  the  joy  which  came  no  less  from  the 
heart  of  the  uncle  than  from  that  of  the  haj^py  little  girl, 
who  clung  closely  to  her  mother,  as  if  she  had  received 
from  her  the  power  to  win  what  she  had  won,  and  wished 
to  obtain  yet  more  from  her.  Lina  looked  also  at  her 
uncle  from  time  to  time  with  joyful,  shining  eyes,  as  if 
the  sympathizing  clear  gaze  of  his  eyes  would  make  her 
perceive  more  clearly  what  her  heart  desired. 

The  dinner  was  scarcely  ended  when  Lina  with  her 
two  treasures — the  book  and  her  father's  letter — settled 
herself  by  her  uncle,  who  usually  spent  some  time  after 
dinner  in  the  midst  of  the  little  circle,  in  order  to  enjoy 
with  him  the  pleasure  of  comparing  and  finding  out  the 
likenesses  and  the  differences  in  the  two  kinds  of  letters. 
The  mother,  having  attended  to  her  domestic  duties,  soon 
made  a  third  in  the  bright  group.  It  was  clearly  per- 
ceived by  all  three  that  there  is  a  simple,  comprehensive 
law,  according  to  which  our  common  large  printing  let- 
ters were  formed  from  the  predominantly  straight-lined 
ones — namely,  that  the  straight  lines  of  the  latter  are 
mostly  replaced  in  the  former  by  winding,  rarely  by  sim- 
ple curved  lines ;  and  the  simple  curved  lines  of  the  latter 
are  replaced  in  the  former  by  pointed  and  irregularly 
curved  lines  ;  but  that  the  two  kinds  of  letters  are  in  the 
main  alike  in  their  internal  construction  and  connection 
of  parts. 

Lina  now  showed  great  skill  in  recognizing  the  large 
printing  letters,  but,  instead  of  being  delighted,  she  turned 
with  unexpected  sadness  to  her  mother  :  "  But,  dear 
mother,  I  can  not  yet  read  in  my  book,  for  there  are 
so  few  large  letters  in  it,  and  there  is  only  one  of  them 
in  any  word  ;  but  there  are  so  many  small  letters !  How 
shall  I  learn  to  know  them  all  ?    Oh,  do  teach  me  ! " 


HOW  LINA  LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND  READ.   319 

"  Do  not  be  uneasy,  my  child,"  soothingly  said  her 
mother,  who  had  expected  this  request  when  she  came 
into  the  room ;  "  there  are  really  no  more  of  these  than  of 
the  others  you  already  know ;  only  a  few  of  them  show 
some  difference.  If  you  are  attentive,  and  will  compare 
them  yourself  as  you  did  before,  you  will  easily  learn  to 
know  these  also." 

"  Well,  then  I  shall  surely  be  glad  to-morrow,"  said 
Lina's  uncle,  rising  from  his  seat.  "  Now  I  must  say  good- 
by  to  you  for  to-day,  since  my  business  calls  me,  as  you 
know.  So  to-morrow  we  will  have  as  pleasant  a  meeting 
as  to-day." 

"  Certainly,"  said  the  mother. 

"  Yes,  certainly,"  said  the  child,  "  if  dear  mother  helps 
me  again. 

"  Please  do,  now,"  was  all  Lina  said  when  her  uncle 
had  gone  away;  and  the  mother  understood  the  child's 
simple  words. 

"  Now  sit  down  by  me,  and  bring  your  father's  two 
presents  with  you.  I  need  not  tell  you  much ;  you  will 
soon  be  able  to  help  yourself  as  before,  and  will  like  to  do 
it,  for  you  have  now  found  out  that  what  we  learn  by  our- 
selves not  only  gives  us  greater  pleasure  than  what  we 
learn  from  others,  for  we  gain  from  it  the  beneficial  and 
strengthening  feeling  of  our  own  activity ;  but  we  also 
much  more  easily  retain  what  is  thus  learned,  and  can 
apply  and  use  it  again  much  more  readily.  What  was  the 
first  letter  which  we  learned  to  know  ?     Show  it  to  me." 

"  Here  it  is— 3." 

"  And  from  which  of  those  you  knew  before  did  it 
result  by  changing  the  straight  lines  into  the  waving  or 
winding  lines  ?     Show  me  this  also." 

"  Here,  from  the  I." 

\ 


320         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

"  Yes,  the  3  has  sprouted  from  the  I,  as  the  curled-up, 
unopened  leaf  from  the  germ,  the  bud.  But  you  know— 
for  we  have  a  great  many  times  wonderingly  noticed  it  in 
our  walks  and  among  our  flowers — that  the  many-petaled 
flower  or  blossom  bring  forth  the  simple  seed,  and  seems 
to  gather  itself  up  in  this  once  more.  So  it  is,  my  dear 
child,  with  very  many  things ;  they  must  become  small 
again — that  is,  they  must  be  drawn  up  into  themselves 
and  concentrated  before  they  can  be  really  of  use.  And  so 
it  is  with  our  large  printing  letters  :  they  also  had  to  be  first 
simplified,  drawn  into  themselves  as  it  were,  stripped  of 
all  ornaments,  before  they  could  serve  the  great  purposes 
and  prepare  the  many  pleasures  for  which  they  were  in- 
tended— by  reading.     Let  us  see  once  more. 

"  Look  again  in  your  book.  Which  of  all  the  little 
letters  in  it  could  well  represent  the  3  and  I  ?  " 

"  This  one,  I  think." 

"  And  you  are  quite  right.  You  can  really  find  again 
in  the  small  i  all  the  crooked  coarse  and  fine  lines  and 
ornaments  which  the  3  shows.  They  are  reduced  to  the 
vanishing  point;  only  the  upper  ornamental  stroke  has 
freed  itself  and  become  independent,  although  reduced 
to  a  small  dot.  Now  compare  3  and  I  once  more  by  the 
light  of  what  we  know,  so  that  the  differences  and  like- 
nesses may  be  clear  and  vivid  to  you,  and  so  that  you  may 
find  them  again  with  other  letters.  Now,  which  of  the 
small  letters  do  you  think  indicates  the  ^?  But  I  must 
tell  you  beforehand  that  you  must  cut  off  many  ornaments, 
and  only  keep  the  essential  part.  Now  what  may  be  the 
essential  part  of  the  g  beside  the  curved  middle  line  ?  " 

"  I  think  the  little  stroke  which  is  at  the  right,  and 
also  the  curved  roof.  The  little  line  bending  upward  to 
the  left  may  very  well  be  left  out." 


HOW  LINA  LEARNED   TO  WRITE  AND  READ.    321 

"  So  I  think  too.  Now  try  which  among  the  little 
letters  has  some  likeness  to  the  large  ?5-" 

Examining  and  comparing,  the  child  sought  in  her 
book,  and  looked  somewhat  doubtingly  at  her  mother, 
pointing  at  the  same  time  to  the  f  in  the  book. 

"  Let  me  see  if  you  are  right.  First,  there  is  the  prin- 
cipal stroke,  only  more  vertical  and  but  little  curved ; 
second,  there  is  also  here  the  little  stroke  at  the  right. 
The  essential  part  of  the  twisted  roof  is  also  left ;  only  the 
little  curved  line  at  the  left  has  disappeared.  And  see, 
you  are  right — the  f  indicates  among  the  little  letters  what 
the  ?5  does  among  the  large  ones.  We  will  now  try  to  find 
among  the  small  letters  one  more  which  means  the  same 
as  one  of  the  large  letters  ;  then  that  will  be  enough  for 
to-day.  I  mean  the  X),  and  compare  it  first  with  the  let- 
ter which  it  started  from,  the  D.  Notice  what  is  the 
most  essential  part  of  it,  and  then  try  to  find  it  among 
the  smaller  letters." 

It  was  not  long  before  Lina  pointed,  with  greater  cer- 
tainty than  before,  to  the  b. 

"  See,  this  time  you  have  found  it  easily  and  quickly  ; 
this  gives  me  pleasure.  But  now  we  will  place  the  three 
letters  X),  D,  t>  side  by  side,  and  see  if  you  are  right.  Yes, 
it  is  true  ;  the  principal  stroke  is  in  all  of  them — in  the 
first  very  winding,  in  the  second  quite  straight,  and  in  the 
third  something  of  both.  So  also  the  principal  curved 
stroke  is  in  all  three,  but  in  the  first  it  curves  downward ; 
in  the  third,  on  the  contrary,  upward  ;  but  in  the  second, 
the  middle  one,  neither  way,  but  goes  straight  from  the 
vertical  line.  We  now  must  stop  for  to-day ;  you  know 
house  affairs  need  my  attention.  You,  my  Lina,  if  you 
like,  may  easily  find  some  more  resemblances  between  the 
large  letters  which  you  know  and  the  small  ones  which 

\ 


322         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

you  do  not  yet  know.  To-morrow  you  can  show  me  what 
you  have  found  ;  now  you  may  play  what  you  like." 

"  If  I  may,  I  would  like  to  go  once  more  to  the  kin- 
dergarten." 

"  Willingly,  my  child  ;  you  may  go  for  your  little 
neighbor,  Minna,  and  take  her  with  you." 

"  Oh,  that  is  nice,  if  I  may  do  that !  I  like  little  Minna 
very  much.     Thank  you,  dear  mother." 

The  two  children,  hand  in  hand,  went  happily  to  the 
kindergarten,  which  both  had  attended  daily  until  a  short 
time  before  ;  but  now  Minna,  who  was  the  younger  of 
the  two,  was  the  only  one  who  still  went  regularly.  Lina 
only  went  occasionally,  since  during  her  father's  absence 
her  mother  could  devote  more  time  to  her,  and  because 
she  had  already  outgrown  the  kindergarten  and  was  to 
attend  the  primary  school  after  the  return  of  her  long- 
expected  father. 

But  now  how  delighted  were  her  former  playmates  and 
companions  in  work,  to  see  her  whom  they  all  loved,  after 
being  deprived  of  her  company  for  what  seemed  to  them 
a  long  time !  And  how  happy  was  Lina  once  more  to 
join  the  circle  in  which  she  had  been  so  often  and  so 
joyous ! 

What  was  more  natural  than  that  she  should  be  ques- 
tioned as  to  what  she  had  done  at  home  during  this  time, 
and  what  she  was  still  doing?  The  kindergartner  also 
willingly  permitted  Lina  to  answer  these  questions,  so 
that  her  little  audience  might  hear  how  children  could  be 
busy  at  home  also,  and  how  good  children  actually  were 
so,  for  she  knew  Lina's  employment. 

But  what  Lina  first  spoke  of — for  her  heart  was  full  of 
it — was  of  her  beautiful  book,  which  her  absent  father  had 
sent  to  her  because  she  had  written  letters  to  him. 


HOW  LINA  LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND   READ.    323 

"  Written  letters ! "  cried  the  children,  astonished. 
"  Where  did  you  learn  ?     Who  taught  you  ?  " 

These  and  other  questions  were  at  once  pressed  upon 
her.  She  told  how  her  mother  had  first  taught  her  to  lay 
her  name  with  sticks. 

"  Show  us — show  us  how  your  name  looks  laid  with 
sticks." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  kindergartner,  who  was  quietly  listen- 
ing to  their  talk,  and  had  again  convinced  herself  how 
children  unconsciously  teach  one  another  and  like  to 
learn  from  one  another — "yes,  show  it  to  us,  for  we  have 
figure-laying  with  straight  sticks;  so  that  comes  in  very 
nicely.  Come,  place  yourself  at  the  middle  of  the  table ; 
then  all  the  children  can  see  very  well." 

And  Lina  laid  her  name,  and  showed  her  former  com- 
panions what  signs  indicated  the  I  and  the  A,  the  L  and 
the  N. 

"  Can  you  lay  my  name  too  ?  "  said  Minna  coaxingly, 
standing  by  her  side. 

"  Oh,  that  is  easy,"  said  Lina.  "  Listen — your  name 
sounds  almost  like  mine  :  Minna — Lina — and  only  one 
closed  sound,  the  first,  is  different ;  and  one  closed  sound, 
the  middle  one,  you  can  hear  double."  So  she  now  easily 
laid  with  sticks  the  name  Minna. 

"  Oh,  if  we  could  only  lay  our  names  too ! "  said  the 
larger  children.     "  Do  teach  us  ! " 

"  I  will ;  but  you  must  first  speak  your  names  very 
plainly,  find  their  parts,  and  notice  which  of  the  sounds 
are  open  and  which  are  closed  ;  then  you  must  learn 
to  know  the  particular  and  proper  sign  for  each  of  the 
sounds." 

"  The  dear  gardener "  (so  the  children  liked  to  call 
their  loving  fosterer,  as,  on  the  other  hand,  she  liked  to 


"l 


324         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

call  them  her  plants  and  flowers)  "  will  certainly  like  to 
teach  it  to  you,  as  my  good  mother  did  to  me." 

"  Certainly,"  answered  the  kindergartner  kindly,  "  only 
we  must  also  fulfill  the  condition  which  Lina  mentioned 
to  us :  that  is,  we  must  first  speak  clearly  and  in  full 
tones." 

"  Oh,  certainly,  that  we  will,"  said  all  the  children,  who 
understood  what  she  said.  Some  of  them  clung  lovingly 
to  the  kindergartner ;  others  looked  with  joyous  gratitude 
into  the  clear  eyes  of  the  happy  little  girl.  Two  of  the 
children  clung  entreatingly  round  the  neck  of  their  com- 
panion, who  now  wished  to  go  away. 

"  No,  you  must  not  go  yet,  Lina — must  she  ? "  said 
they  all,  turning  entreatingly  and  questioningly  to  the 
kind  kindergartner,  who  they  were  sure  would  carry  out 
their  wish. 

"  Lina  must  do  as  she  wishes,"  she  replied.  But  before 
Lina  could  answer,  the  children  had  drawn  her  into  the 
circle  for  their  favorite  play.  The  Doves,  which  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  second  and  a  third  play.  But  now  Lina  be- 
gan in  earnest  to  prepare  to  go  home.  The  two  little 
ones  who  had  formed  a  peculiar,  silent  friendship  for  her, 
again  embraced  her,  kissed  her  cheek,  and  said  : 

"  Come  soon  again  ;  you  brought  us  beautiful  things." 

"  Yes,  come  soon  again,"  repeated  the  vigorous  voice 
of  a  healthy,  blooming  boy  almost  five  years  old,  who 
with  a  few  companions  of  his  own  age  had  been  hitherto 
a  silent  listener  and  thoughtful  observer  of  the  little 
teacher. 

And  nodding  a  cordial  "Yes,"  almost  involuntarily 
the  departing  child  vanished  behind  the  door  which  closed 
upon  her ;  for,  almost  unconsciously  to  herself,  the  atten- 
tion of  the  children  (since  one  development  always  de- 


HOW  LINA  LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND  READ.   325 

mands  another)  had  called  forth  in  her  the  urgent  desire 
to  endeavor  in  her  home  to  meet  her  mother's  wish  and 
expectation. 

"  Yes,  see,"  said  the  child-loving  kindergartner — who 
made  use  of  every  circumstance  to  lead  her  little  charges 
to  notice  the  phenomena  of  life  around  them,  but  especial- 
ly to  observe  their  own  life  and  action — "  see  how  nice  it 
is  to  know  something,  and  to  be  able  to  teach  others ! 
Lina  is  only  a  little  older  than  the  oldest  among  you, 
and  only  a  short  time  ago  was  your  playmate  and  the 
playmate  of  us  all  ;  and  now  she  comes  and  kindly 
teaches  us  beautiful  things.  You  see  that  those  who  are 
attentive  and  diligent  can,  even  when  still  young,  be  of 
use  to  others." 

But  Lina's  short  visit  had  been  not  only  useful  to  the 
children,  but  had  also  brought  them  much  good.  It  had 
made  them  attentive  to  all  which  concerns  the  perception 
and  relations  of  forms,  for  on  that  partly  depended  the 
knowing  how  to  lay  the  letters ;  but  especially  does  it  de- 
pend on  attention  to  correct  and  full-toned  speaking,  in 
order  to  learn  to  write ;  for  even  the  smallest  child,  in 
order  to  meet  the  requirements  put  upon  him,  must  have 
the  feeling,  however  dimly,  that  from  this  tax  upon  his 
power,  out  of  this  exercise  of  his  will,  there  will  proceed 
that  which  is  beneficial  to  him. 

This  foreboding  in  the  child  is  by  no  means  a  hidden 
self-seeking,  but  the  natural  outcome  of  the  desire  and 
impulse  toward  spiritual  selfhood,  self-dependence,  and 
the  wish  to  place  himself  in  perfectly  harmonious  rela- 
tionship to  his  entire  environment. 

After  returning  from  the  kindergarten  it  was  Lina's 
first  act,  as  on  the  afternoon  before,  to  compare  the  large 
letters  which  she  knew  in  her  dear  book  with  the  small 


326         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE   KINDERGARTEN. 

letters  in  it,  in  order  to  find  out  those  which  correspond, 
which  she  actually  succeeded  in  doing,  to  her  great  de- 
light. So  was  it  also  the  next  morning  :  after  all  the  little 
duties  of  cleaning,  arranging,  and  clearing  up  which  were 
required  of  her  were  done,  and  the  simple  breakfast  was 
enjoyed,  she  immediately  sought  out  her  dumb  teacher, 
which  in  a  remarkable  manner  taught  her — under  her 
mother's  thoughtful  guidance — to  inform  and  instruct 
herself. 

She  first  of  all  compared  the  large  letters  again  with 
each  other,  and  soon  found  that  in  one  there  are  three^  in 
another  two^  and  again  in  still  another  there  is  one  essen- 
tial line,  however  curved  it  may  be.  She  discovered,  too, 
which  of  the  hooks,  bows,  or  curves  were  essential,  and 
which  unessential.  She  found  the  same  to  be  the  case  in 
the  small  letters  —  three,  two,  or  even  one  stroke,  but 
(now  with,  again  without  little  strokes,  circles,  or  curved 
lines)  were  essential.  And  so  she  succeeded  in  finding 
out  a  considerable  number  of  the  small  letters  whose  simi- 
larity to  the  corresponding  large  letters  was  now  readily 
detected.  With  some  of  the  former  it  was  of  course  the 
case,  in  spite  of  all  repeated  comparison,  that  she  could 
not  at  all  see  her  way  clearly.  Yet  in  all  these  difficulties 
she  hoped  for  her  mother's  certain  glance  and  guiding 
word.  So,  with  glad  expectation,  she  looked  forward  to 
the  noon,  when  she  was  to  give  an  account  to  her  mother 
of  what  she  had  found  ;  and  she  joyously  cried  out,  as 
business  brought  her  mother  into  the  room,  "  I  know  al- 
ready twelve  more  of  the  small  letters." 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  it.  When  we  have  eaten  our 
dinner  you  can  show  them  to  me,  then  we  will  examine 
what  you  have  found.  Now  you  can  do  your  other  work, 
and  then  provide  what  is  necessary  for  the  noontime." 


HOW  LINA  LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND  READ.    327 

And  the  noon,  which  Lina  so  longed  for,  came  at  last ; 
but  her  uncle,  whom  Lina  had  expected  with  equal  long- 
ing, did  not  come  for  an  unusually  long  time,  and  Lina 
had  to  practice  patience,  and  could  not  tell  him  of  the  ad- 
vance she  had  made  and  of  her  delight  in  it.  But  finally 
he  came,  having  been  detained  by  business.  His  com- 
munications to  her  mother  prevented  Lina  from  gaining 
his  attention  for  her  dear  letters.  At  last  appeared  the 
desired  opening,  and,  with  a  long-restrained,  deep-drawn 
breath,  Lina  brought  forward  the  proofs  of  her  diligence, 
and  said,  turning  to  her  uncle :  "  Ah,  dear  uncle,  now  I 
know  nearly  all  my  little  letters,  and  I  can  soon  read  in  fa- 
ther's beautiful  book. — But  look  here,  dear  mother,  and  see 
if  I  am  right,"  and  she  pointed  to  the  letters  which  she 
had  found,  by  careful  comparison  in  her  father's  letter 
and  in  her  book,  as  having  the  same  meaning  :  M,  ?!)?,  m ; 
N,  9Z,  n  ;  U,  U,  u  ;  W,  SB,  »  ;  V,  35,  d  ;  0,  O,  o;  P,  §>,  ^  ; 
H,^,^;  B,  33,b;  S,@,  ^;  K,^,  f;  R,  9^,r;  Z,  3,  g.  She 
was  doubtful  as  to  the  letters  21,  a ;  S,  c ;  ®,  g ;  Q,  <| ; 
2;,  t ;  S,  c ;  and  she  did  not  know  in  the  least  where  to 
place  the  letters  f,  ff,  %  g,  d^,  f^,  ff,  j,  and  several  others. 
"  Will  you  please  tell  me,  dear  uncle,  what  these  signs 
mean,  and  how  they  are  to  be  spoken  so  that  they  can  be 
heard  ?  "  said  Lina,  turning  to  him  entreatingly.    . 

"  That  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  do,  my  child,  especially 
as  I  have  some  time  to  spare,  for  I  did  my  afternoon's 
work  this  morning.  But  I  will  not  encroach  upon  your 
mother's  office  of  teaching,  which  she  does  so  well." 

"  Do  so  now,  since  you  have  time ;  it  will  please  me 
particularly,  for  I  have  a  great  deal  to  do  to-day.  I  will 
then  later,"  she  added  jestingly,  "  test  whether  you  two 
have  done  your  work  well,"  and  with  a  farewell,  accom- 
panied by  a  kind  nod,  she  left  Ijhe  room. 


328         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

"  Now  bring  your  slate  and  pencil  here  and  let  us  try 
what  we  can  do,"  said  her  uncle. 

And  the  uncle,  who  could  draw  a  little,  drew  first  the 
three  forms  of  each  of  the  doubtful  letters  plainly  side 
by  side ;  and  then  again  drew  two  of  each  of  these,  one 
within  the  other.  In  this  way  Lina  could  easily  perceive 
what  was  too  much  in  one  form  and  too  little  in  another, 
but  principally  what  was  essential  and  therefore  abiding 
in  all  three  forms  ;  and,  to  the  child's  great  delight,  the 
vanishing  doubt  changed  to  complete  certainty. 

"  But  what  shall  we  do  with  the  other  single  letters, 
which  seem  to  belong  nowhere  ?  " 

"  See,  Lina,"  said  the  uncle,  "  only  look  at  them  more 
carefully  ;  they  are  mostly  letters  made  up  of  two  or  more, 
and  you  already  know  most  of  them  singly.  The  few  that 
you  do  not  know  are  this,  and  this,"  pointing  to  the  f  and 
the  j.  "  That  you  could  not  find  these  two  letters  among 
those  you  knew  is  no  fault  of  yours,  for  they  have  been 
changed  greatly.  The  two  beautiful  curved  letters  S  and 
(S  have  straightened  themselves  in  f,  and  so  are  scarcely  to 
be  recognized  again  in  it,  although  the  latter  comes  quite 
simply  from  the  former." 

"  I  can  very  well  imagine  that.  It  is  like  a  crooked, 
bent  wire  which  is  almost  straightened." 

"  Quite  right ;  and  now  you  will  be  able  to  tell  what 
they  are,  and  also  to  sound  them,  which  you  did  not  know 
how  to  do  before.     See,  now,  first  of  all,  the  ff." 

"  Oh,  that  is  all  quite  easy.     It  is  a  double  f.  " 

"And  that?"  asked  the  uncle,  pointing  to  the  let- 
ters fl. 

"  That  is  quite  easy  too ;  it  is  an  f  and  t  joined  to- 
gether." 

"  Yes,  and  spoken  in  one  open  sound.     And  do  you 


HOW  LINA  LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND  READ.   329 

know  how  you  have  to  write  this  joined,  double,  open 
sound  with  your  letters  ?     Show  me." 

"  I  know  that  very  well ;  it  is  St. 

"  That  you  could  not  make  out  this  letter  "  (pointing 
to  the  5)  "is  no  fault  of  yours.  It  is  also  a  double  letter — 
that  is,  an  f  and  a  g — and  means  that  the  open  sound  f  is 
to  be  sharply  spoken." 

"Yes,  I  know  that  too.  Mother  taught  me.  the  sign 
for  it— SS." 

"  Quite  right.  I  am  glad  that  you  have  been  so  atten- 
tive to  your  mother's  words.  I  shall  tell  her  how  glad  I  am. 
But  now  you  must  also  learn  to  explain  the  double  sign 
here  "  (pointing  to  the  c^),  "  and  to  sound  it.  Look  at  it 
closely ;  you  know  the  single  signs." 

"  Ah,  I  know  these  very  well ;  they  are  the  c  and  the  ^. 
But  in  c^  I  can  not  speak  the  two  letters  in  one  sound." 

"  No  ?  I  think  you  can.  How  did  your  mother  teach 
you  to  write  these  two  signs  or  letters  ?  Show  me  upon 
the  slate." 

"  That  I  know  very  well :  C  and  H  "  (drawing  both  on 
the  slate). 

"  And  if  you  should  speak  these  two  signs  as  one 
sound  ? "  «  . 

"  Oh,  now  I  know :  ^  means  the  open  sound  OH." 
She  drew  the  sign  quickly  on  her  slate  without  difficulty. 

"  See  how  any  one  who  is  attentive  and  compares 
thoughtfully  can  easily  find  out  many  things  for  himself. 
We  have  next  a  sign  made  up  of  three  letters  "  (pointing 
to  the  fci^) ;  "  can  you  analyze  this  for  me  and  point  out 
its  sound  ?  " 

"  Just  let  me  try,  uncle.  Are  not  the  three  letters 
f  c  ^  joined  here  in  one  sign  ?  " 

"  Well,  but  do  you  not  ren^ember  that  you  have  al- 


380         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

ready  joined  them,  and  so  shown  that  they  were  to  be  a 
single  sound,  when  you  were  writing  under  your  good 
mother's  directions  ?  " 

"  Of  course,  I  know  it  now,  as  you  are  so  kind  as 

to  help  me  to  it ;  it  is  the  sign  SCH  for  the  sound  " 
(she  utters  the  sound). 

"  Now  we  have  another  sign  which  you  could  not  ex- 
plain—it is  this"  (the  letter  j)  ;  "but  you  have  already 
learned  to  know  a  similar  letter.    Do  you  remember  it  ?  " 

"  Certainly  ;  it  was  the  i "  (looking  it  out  in  the  book 
and  pointing  to  it). 

"  Well,  what  capital  letter,  and  which  of  your  letters, 
are  like  that  ?  " 

"  The  I  and  the  3  "  (pointing  to  each  in  the  letter  and 
the  book). 

"  Now,  you  must  know  that  the  signs  or  capital  letters 
I  and  3  each  have  two  sounds :  first,  the  voice  sound  j, 
for  instance,  in  the  name  Ida ;  and,  second,  a  soft,  flowing, 
open  sound,  for  instance,  in  Julie,  Johann."  * 

"  But  now  if  this  soft,  flowing,  open  sound  is  to  be 
represented  by  a  small  letter,  it  is  done  by  the  sign  or 
letter  j  (j),  which,  as  you  quite  rightly  noticed,  is  like  the 
small  t,  only  it  is  made  longer  below  so  as  to  indicate  its 
flowing.  So  you  see  the  sign  j,  the  small  letter,  represents 
an  open  sound  similar  to  that  of  the  cj "  (pointing  to  this 
sign  in  the  book),  "  only  very  soft ;  as,  for  instance,  when 
you  say  [in  German]  '  That  picture  pleases  me.' "  "  I 
want  that  doll."  f 

"  How  glad  T  am  that  I  know  all  these  small  letters, 
and  can  find  them  again  in  the  large  ones,  and  show  them 

*  The  German  J  has  the  sound  of  our  English  Y. —  Translator. 
f  "  Jenes  bild  gefallt  mir."    "  Jene  puppe  mochte  ich  haben." 


HOW  LINA  LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND  READ.    331 

to  my  mother  !  How  I  thank  you,  uncle  "  (nestling  up 
to  him),  "  for  being  so  kind,  and  helping  me  so  nicely  by 
your  drawing.  Without  that  I  should  not  have  found  it 
so  easy  ! " 

"  You  are  right,  my  child  ;  drawing  makes  it  much 
easier  to  notice  and  examine.  Therefore  give  heed  to  the 
instruction  in  drawing  which  your  mother  gives  you.  It 
will  at  a  later  time,  like  a  shining  light,  show  you  the 
way  many  times  even  when  you  would  not  expect  it.  But 
now  I  must  go  too.  Do  you  remember  what  your  mother 
said  jestingly  when  she  went  away?" 

"  Oh,  yes ;  she  said  she  would  examine  us  by  and  by, 
to  see  if  we  too  had  done  our  work  well." 

"  You  have  remembered  very  well.  Since  we  are  both 
to  be  examined,  go  over  it  all  by  yourself  very  carefully. 
For  to-day,  farewell.  Say  farewell  to  your  mother  also 
for  me." 

"  Farewell." 

Lina's  first  act  now  was  to  open  her  book  according 
to  her  uncle's  advice  and  request,  and  to  pronounce  the 
signs  or  letters  wherever  she  pleased.  When  she  had 
done  this  successfully  several  times,  she  ran  to  her  mother 
to  give  her  uncle's  message,  and  to  give  an  account  of  the 
new  advance  she  had  made,  and  of  her  kind  uncle's  assist- 
ance.    "  Do  come  soon,  so  that  I  may  show  it  to  you." 

"  I  am  very  glad.  I  knew  that  your  uncle,  who  is 
skilled  in  drawing,  would  teach  you  more  easily  and  better 
than  I.  Now,  my  child,  go  to  your  usual  work.  I  shall 
soon  be  ready,  and  then  I  will  come  to  you.  If  you  are 
ready  before  I  come,  and  have  done  your  work  well,  you 
can  play  whatever  you  like." 

"  May  I  then  go  for  our  neighbor's  Minna,  and  lay, 
interlace  or  build  something  with  her  ?  " 
24  \ 


m 


382         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN, 

"  You  may,  if  you  have  done  what  you  were  told." 

"  Oh,  that  is  good — that  is  good  ! " 

The  little  girl  was  in  an  extremely  happy  mood.  The 
employment  under  the  guidance  of  her  uncle,  the  prog- 
ress which  she  had  thus  made,  and  the  new  knowledge 
she  had  gained  had  made  her  so  glad,  and  the  joyous  hope 
of  being  permitted,  after  well-done  work,  to  get  her  dear 
little  neighbor  to  play  with  her,  had  called  such  serenity 
into  her  soul  that  her  remaining  work  was  not  only  done 
with  unusual  quickness,  but  also  so  well  that  she  had  no 
doubt  that  her  mother  would  be  satisfied  with  it  when  she 
afterward  gave  an  account  of  it.  And  so  she  went  to  her 
young  neighbor,  Minna,  with  the  request :  "  Come  with 
me,  Minna ;  we  may  play ;  my  mother  is  willing.  Go  and 
ask  your  mother  if  she  will  let  you  go  home  with  me  to 
play."  And  scarcely  had  the  words  passed  Lina's  lips 
when  Minna  hastened  to  her  mother  to  beg  the  desired 
permission,  with  which  she  soon  returned. 

"  Take  your  great  doll  with  you,  and  give  me  your 
building  boxes,  and  your  laying  and  interlacing  sticks. 
We  will  play  kindergarten,  and  will  teach  our  dolls  the 
building,  laying,  and  interlacing,  the  counting,  writing, 
and  reading." 

So  a  pleasant  play  soon  began  ;  but  the  time  passed 
quickly  to  the  happy  children  thoughtfully  and  busily 
employed. 

"  Minna,"  said  Lina  soon  after  the  play  had  begun,  in 
quite  an  earnest  tone,  "we  must  leave  what  our  dolls 
build,  interlace,  etc.,  so  that  when  mother  comes  she  can 
see  what  our  dolls  can  already  do — counting,  writing,  and 
reading." 

The  mother  came. 

"  Oh,  what  have  you  there— a  whole  market?" 


HOW  UNA  LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND  READ.    333 

"  Yes,  we  have  been  playing  at  kindergarten.  Only  see 
what  beautiful  things  our  dolls  have  made  !  They  can 
count,  and  write,  and  read  too.  Only  see  here :  my  doll 
has  written  her  name  Fanny,  and  Minna's  doll  her  name 
Anna.  They  can  read  too — just  hear.  Anna  can  read  the 
name  Fanny,  and  Fanny  the  name  Anna,"  and  she  sup- 
posed that  the  creations  of  her  imagination  would  be 
reflected  in  her  mother's  mind.  And  the  mother  did 
actually  rejoice  like  the  children,  but  in  a  different  way 
and  from  other  causes.  She  rejoiced  that  the  instruction 
which  life  gives  to  children  becomes  a  vital  part  of  their 
lives,  and  so  again  blossoms  and  bears  fruit  in  full,  fresh, 
healthy  lives. 

"  This  is  all  very  beautiful,"  said  the  mother.  "  Your 
dolls  have  been  quite  diligent,  now  they  must  rest  again  ; 
but,  before  they  go,  tell  them  they  must  put  things  in 
order,  each  thing  in  its  place.  Then,  thanking  her  for 
playing  with  you,  take  Minna  home  and  thank  her  mother 
too  for  letting  her  come.  Come  back  soon,  and  then  I 
will,  as  you  wish,  see  what  your  uncle  has  taught  you." 

Before  her  mother  was  aware  Lina  had  returned  and 
greeted  her  with  the  entreating  question,  "  You  stayed 
here,  did  you  not,  that  1  might  show  you  what  my  uncle 
has  taught  me?"  And,  not  waiting  for  an  answer,  she 
seized  her  mother's  hand  and  drew  her  to  the  table. 
"  Come,  sit  here ;  here  I  can  show  you  all  that  my  uncle 
taught  me,  and  how  he  taught  it  to  me ;  for  see,  it  is  still 
all  upon  the  slate." 

And  Lina  now  showed  her  mother  first  the  relation 
and  development  of  the  form  of  the  letters  A,  51,  a ;  E,  S, 
e ;  G,  ®,  9 ;  Q,  D,  q  ;  T,  J,  t ;  C,  S,  c ;  that  she  could 
comprehend  and  make  them  again  on  the  slate.  In  doing 
this  many  things  became  clearer  to  her,  for  the  mother 


II 


334         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN 

made  her  notice  this  and  that  thing  which  she  had  either 
forgotten  or  overlooked  in  her  uncle's  explanations.  She 
also  pronounced  for  her  mother  the  signs  |,  f,  and  the 
compounds  formed  of  the  latter,  ff,  ft,  f,  f(^,  c^,  and  the 
doubled  and  sharpened  ff. 

"  I  will  beg  your  uncle  to  be  your  teacher  for  the 
future,  for  you  have  retained  his  instructions  as  easily  as 
you  have  understood  them." 

"  Only  see  how  nicely  he  has  drawn  it  all  for  me  !  It 
is  just  as  if  one  thing  grew  out  of  the  other,  like  the 
blossoms  from  the  buds,  and  from  the  blossoms  again  the 
fruit  or  the  seeds.  Do  you  know  how  prettily  you  showed 
me  this  on  our  blossoming  apple  tree,  and  the  June  apples 
you  picked  up  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  you  see,  my  good  child,  we  can  show,  by  means 
of  drawing,  a  great  many  things  which  it  is  either  very 
difficult  or  quite  impossible  to  show  by  words ;  and,  again, 
the  living  forms  of  nature  testify  to  the  truth  which,  as 
it  were,  lies  slumbering  or  even  dead  to  us  in  word  and 
picture.  Therefore,  my  dear  daughter,  esteem  highly  the 
teachers,  inwardly  bound  together  like  three  loving  sis- 
ters: :  the  living  nature,  the  representative  drawing,  and 
the  explanatory  word — this  latter  heard  as  well  as  read. 
One  explains  the  other,  and  makes  what  it  says  more  com- 
prehensible." 

"  Then  I  am  glad,  my  dear  mother,  that  my  kind 
father  sent  me  this  beautiful  book,  for  now  I  can  read  a 
great  many  words  in  it;  and  I  was  able  to  read  them  just 
as  soon  as  I  knew  the  small  letters.     May  I  show  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  am  eager  to  hear." 

"  Oh,  it  is  easy ;  they  are  the  same  letters  and  words 
you  have  taught  me  to  write,  and  which  I  can  read  in 
father's  letter.     See,  I  will  show  you  all  the  words  I  can 


HOW  LINA  LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND  READ.  335 

read  now :  in,  im,  an,  am,  urn,  tin,  mein,  metne,  meine^,  bein, 
'otint,  betner,  'tdmm,  teitte^,  nein,  fcitt,  fein,  ^tn,  nimm,  fann, 
man,  tarn,  ta,  ba^,  bac^.  And  see,  here  I  can  read  a  whole 
line :  '  When  the  child  cried,  a  man  came  at  once  and 
said,  "  What  do  yon  want,  child ? "  "I  want  to  go  to  my 
mother,"  said  the  child.'  " 

"  That  is  well  done  indeed,"  said  the  mother  to  Lina ; 
"  now  you  will  soon  be  able  to  read  the  whole  book ;  at 
least,  you  may  try  the  first  story  to-morrow." 

"  Yes,  if  you  will  help  me,  I  shall  get  along  very  well." 

"  If  you  can  not  immediately  read  a  word,  you  must, 
as  soon  as  you  know  all  the  letters  of  it,  make  it  with  your 
writing  letters,  then  you  will  be  able  to  read  it  more  easily." 

"  How  glad  I  shall  be  when  I  can  read  the  whole 
book  ! " 

"  Well,  to-morrow  we  will  see.  At  present  you  have 
had  enough.     Now  we  must  go  to  other  work." 

That  evening  after  supper,  before  she  went  to  bed,  and 
early  the  next  day  when  the  morning  tasks  were  done, 
Lina  took  her  dear  book  in  hand  to  try  to  read  the  first 
story  in  it,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  aloud  to  her- 
self, and  she  succeeded  quite  well,  so  that  her  heart  beat 
with  delight  to  be  able  to  read  aloud  to  her  mother  and 
her  uncle  the  first  story  in  her  book ;  and  she  could  not 
hide  her  joy  when  her  mother  came  into  the  room  to  set 
another  task. 

"  You  seem  so  pleased,  that  it  is  a  good  omen  for  this 
noon." 

Laughing  joyously,  Lina  set  about  her  task,  for  such 
it  actually  was  ;  and  to  the  delight  of  her  mother  and 
uncle,  as  well  as  to  her  own,  Lina  read  ^uite  accurately 
the  first  little  story  in  her  book  ;  only  her  mother  had  first 
to  make  her  notice  the  meaning  of  the  punctuation  marks. 

V 


336         PEDAGOGICS  OF  THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

After  the  general  joy  over  Lina's  progress  in  the  little 
book  had  somewhat  subsided,  she  nestled  up  to  her  mother 
mournfully,  and  said,  "  I  only  wish  I  could  read  the  stories 
aloud  to  father,  and  that  he  could  thus  hear  that  I  can 
already  read  in  his  book." 

"  Well,"  replied  her  mother,  "  he  will  believe  us  if  we 
write  to  him  that  you  read  the  first  story  aloud  to  us  this 
noon.  But  I  know  another  way  in  which  you  can  prove 
to  your  father  that  you  have  read  the  story.  Write  off  a 
part  of  it  for  him  with  your  letters  and  in  your  writing ; 
for  your  father  will  easily  see  that  you  could  not  write 
anything  from  the  book  if  you  could  not  first  read  it." 

"  That  is  really  excellent !  What  good  advice  your 
mother  knows  how  to  give  everybody  ! "  said  her  uncle. 

"  Oh,  that  is  good  !  "  said  Lina,  delighted.  "  Please, 
dear  mother,  give  me  some  paper  and  draw  me  some  lines ; 
I  will  write  at  once." 

"  You  shall  have  paper  and  all  else  you  need  presently, 
but  there  is  no  such  hurry  about  the  writing ;  you  can 
take  great  pains  with  it,  for  I  shall  not  send  the  letters 
for  some  days." 

"  I  am  very  glad  of  that,"  said  the  uncle,  "  otherwise 
I  should  run  the  risk  of  not  seeing  Lina's  work  at  all. 
Business  will  prevent  my  coming  to  you  for  the  next  two 
days.  But  I  shall  be  so  much  the  more  pleased  to  see 
something  new  when  I  return.     Now,  good-by." 

During  the  next  few  days  Lina  was  busy  in  doing  the 
work  she  had  set  herself.  With  the  kind  help  of  her 
mother  she  succeeded  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  latter,  and 
to  her  own  delight,  as  well  as  to  that  of  her  uncle,  who 
took  such  hearty  interest  in  the  development  of  little 
Lina,  when  some  days  after,  as  he  had  promised,  he  again 
appeared  at  the  dinner  table. 


HOW  LINA  LEARNED  TO  WRITE  AND  READ.   337 

Scarcely  was  the  meal  finished  than  she  availed  her- 
self of  her  mother's  permission  to  show  her  work  to  her 
uncle. 

"  But  what  a  great  sheet  this  has  become ! "  said  her 
uncle.  "  That  will  scarcely  go  into  the  letter,"  he  added 
jestingly. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Lina,  turning  entreatingly  to  her 
mother.  "  I  wish,  dear  mother,  that  I  could  write  as  fine 
as  you  and  father  do,  and  use  such  letters.  It  is  so 
quickly  done  when  you  write ;  besides,  you  do  not  use 
so  much  paper  as  I  do.  Please,  mother,  teach  it  to  me  ! 
Please  do  ! " 

"  Yes,  my  child,  that  can  be  done ;  but  we  should  have 
to  give  more  time  to  it  than  I  can  spare,  now  that  your 
father  is  away.  You  will  learn  it  better  at  the  prepara- 
tory school,  to  which  you  are  to  go  when  your  father, 
whom  I  soon  expect,  has  returned ;  till  then  you  will  have 
to  be  contented.  You  can  pass  your  time  in  reading 
your  book." 

"  Oh,  yes  ;  and  after  that  I  will  write  as  you  do." 


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(12) 


i>f  C 


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